It isn’t very often that a team has the opportunity to add one of the five best players in the NBA in their prime, but that is exactly what happened to the Los Angeles Lakers when they acquired Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks on Feb. 2, 2025, in arguably the most shocking trade in sports history.
Prior to the deal, Doncic was enjoying another good season in Dallas, averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists. He did suffer a calf strain on Christmas Day, however, with the injury keeping him out for around six weeks. The Lakers sent out Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a first-round pick to Dallas to bring Luka to L.A.
That calf issue delayed Doncic’s debut with the franchise and it took him a couple of games to be able to feel things out and start to gel with his Lakers teammates, particularly LeBron James and Austin Reaves. But once Luka got comfortable, he showed the world why is considered one of the best basketball players on the planet.
Doncic would become the focal point of the Lakers’ offense, being the primary creator and moving LeBron to more of an off-ball role. Things would go extremely well as Doncic and James led the Lakers to the third seed in an extremely tough Western Conference, picking up big wins over the likes of the eventual NBA Champions Oklahoma City Thunder and long-time rival Denver Nuggets, a team that has had L.A.’s number over the past couple seasons.
Ultimately, Doncic appeared in 28 games for the Lakers, averaging 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.5 assists while knocking down 37.9% from 3-point range.
2024-25 Highlight
The first game in which Luka Doncic looked like his normal self in a Lakers uniform was his fourth contest, on the road against the Nuggets. Doncic dropped 32 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and four steals in a dominant 23-point victory.
But the only real choice for Luka’s top highlight was his return to Dallas on April 9. Doncic was brought to tears at the video tribute the Mavericks played for him prior to the game but was able to push that to the side and absolutely dominate his former team, finishing with 45 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals while knocking down 7-of-10 from 3-point range.
2025-26 Outlook
Doncic signed a three-year, $165 million contract extension with the Lakers this offseason, keeping him in L.A. through 2028 and the organization has made it clear that he is the face of the franchise and the player they will build around.
Luka spent this offseason getting into the best shape of his life and has been dominant in leading his home country of Slovenia in the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 tournament. Going into his first full season with the purple and gold, Doncic will be looking to lead the Lakers against the elite squads and push this team back into championship contention.
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