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Report: Luka Doncic Sets Target Date to Make Lakers Debut After Stunning Trade

Doncic's debut with the Lakers will also be his first game back since suffering a calf injury on Christmas Day.

Tim Capurso

Doncic is introduced at UCLA Health Training Center.
Doncic is introduced at UCLA Health Training Center. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
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Following the Dallas Mavericks' stunning blockbuster trade to acquire five-time All-Star Luka Doncic that shook the NBA to its very core, early reports indicated that the Slovenian superstar would be targeting a game sometime in the week following the trade for his debut with the Los Angeles Lakers.

ESPN seemed to drop a major hint about which game that would be. The network flexed the Phoenix Suns-Utah Jazz game it was scheduled to televise on Friday in favor of the Lakers' Saturday game vs. the Indiana Pacers, leading many to believe that Doncic would take the court for his L.A. debut on Saturday.

But Doncic seems to have a new target date in mind. The 25-year-old is seeking to make his Lakers debut on Monday, Feb. 10 against the Jazz, sources told NBA insider Marc Stein.

As Stein notes, Doncic was able to return to 5-on-5 action in Lakers practice this week, and reportedly handled the ramp-up in activity well. He'd not played for the Mavs since the team's Christmas Day game against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to a left calf strain.

In 22 contests this season, Doncic is averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 2.0 steals per game.

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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