After an impressive win against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, the Los Angeles Lakers were heading back to L.A. to take on the Clippers to close out their Grammy Trip. However, that all got thrown out the window with Anthony Davis being traded to the Dallas Mavericks for Luka Doncic in a blockbuster deal.
General manager Rob Pelinka opted to break up this LeBron James and Davis partnership to pick up their next star. With James expected to hang it up soon, Pelinka seemed to be dead set on acquiring an offensive juggernaut guard in Doncic to build around.
In what feels like an alternate reality, Dallas actually approached the Lakers about this deal. The Mavericks offered up Doncic and it seemed that L.A. could not pass up on this opportunity, via Shams Charania of ESPN:
The Mavericks approached the Lakers recently and offered Luka Doncic, sources tell ESPN. Lakers brass met and believed the 25-year-old Doncic has the ability to be the face of their franchise for the next decade while giving Anthony Davis a win-now move in Dallas.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 2, 2025
While trading Davis is a massive blow seeing how dominant he has been this season, especially winning a championship with the Lakers, it is hard to pass up on this deal. For Doncic to be available for one first-round pick, that is something that does not come around often.
On the Mavericks side of things, bringing in Davis with Dereck Lively II being sidelined with a foot injury, they acted quickly. Daniel Gafford has been holding the fort down, but the one-time champion brings in an entirely different feel.
Now, L.A. is in a mad dash to reorganize this roster around Doncic before the Feb. 6 trade deadline. The pieces do not fit anymore, so players are up for sale to build a contender around Doncic and James. Obviously, the next move for Pelinka is trading for a center to attempt to fill the void of Davis’ departure, but it remains to be seen what he will be able to pull off.
Anthony Davis ‘ Lakers career comes to an end
After being acquired in another blockbuster trade in 2019, Anthony Davis’ career with the Lakers comes to a shocking end. He led the team to a championship in 2020 and was recently named an All-Star for the 10th time overall and fourth time as a Laker, but he now takes things to Texas to team up with Kyrie Irving on the Mavericks.
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