One of the bright young stars in the NBA is now a member of the Los Angeles Lakers after it was announced that they had acquired Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks in a league-altering trade involving Anthony Davis.
In just his seventh NBA season, Doncic has already been named to five All-Star teams, five All-NBA teams, an NBA Finals and a Western Conference Finals. Players like that rarely getting traded in the prime of their careers, if ever, but somehow Rob Pelinka and the Lakers were able to pull it off.
Everyone was caught off guard by this trade, including those involved, as Doncic did not request a trade and had no inkling that one was coming. The 25-year-old cannot be happy with how the Mavericks shipped him off, but he still took to social media to say thank you to the fans in Dallas and express his excitement to be joining the Lakers:
#MFFL pic.twitter.com/qVMcV2uh5m
— Luka Doncic (@luka7doncic) February 2, 2025
Grateful for this amazing opportunity. Basketball means everything to me, and no matter where I play the game, I’ll do so with the same joy, passion and goal – to win championships. https://t.co/psfgI5o9Pn
— Luka Doncic (@luka7doncic) February 2, 2025
Doncic has long been an admirer of both Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, so getting to put on the purple and gold has to be a surreal feeling for him.
Once the shock factor wears off, he will be in L.A. playing for the Lakers alongside James with a chance to compete for championships in one of the NBA’s premier markets for years to come. This is the type of trade that will have ripple effects on the rest of the league for decades, but for the Lakers it was simply a deal they could not pass up.
When will Luka Doncic return from calf injury?
In the short term, Luka Doncic has not been able to play since Christmas Day due to a calf strain. Reports have indicated that he’s been ramping up in recent weeks though and should be able to make his Lakers debut around the All-Star break.
The NBA trade deadline is this Thursday, so it will be interesting to see what other moves the Lakers make to surround Doncic and LeBron James with the best core possible.
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