Luka Dončić exchanged Mavericks Lakers for Anthony Davis in the Blockbuster Agreement: Sources

By Jovan Buha, Christian Clark, Tony Jones, David Aldridge and Alex Andrejev

The Los Angeles Lakers acquire Luka Dončić of the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Anthony Davis as part of an late evening blockbuster that sent shock waves across the NBA, league sources confirmed on Saturday.

The superb move sends Dončić, a quintuple All-Star from the NBA, to one of the best markets in the League to compete alongside LeBron James in what is probably the decrocishing years of the quarry at the James renown temple . He marked the first team other than Dallas for which Dončić – a first round choice in 2018 – will play in his seven -year NBA career.

Dončić, 25, was eligible to sign a contract extension of $ 345 million over five years with the Mavericks this summer. All the signs pointed out to him by putting a pen on paper on this historic agreement with Dallas before this brutal decision.

Mavericks players were blind by the profession. A player, according to an informed source of his reflection, thought that Dončić would accompany Dallas during his five -game road trip.

Instead, Dončić, who was often injured this season, heads for Los Angeles. He played in just 22 games, with an average of 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists in these competitions, and he has not contributed since he suffered a veal pressure at Christmas .

For Davis, 31 years old, he finished a six-year stay with the Lakers which included an NBA championship in 2020. The 10 All-Star at 10 times raised on average 24.8 points, 11 rebounds and 3.2 assists with Los Angeles, and is now planned for a blow with eight times All-Star Kyrie Irving in Dallas.

The multi-team agreement, which includes Utah Jazz, will also see the Land Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris Lakers, while the Mavs acquired Max Christie and a first-round choice in 2029, confirmed league sources. ESPN first announced the news of trade.

Jazz will receive Jalen Hood-Schifino and several second round choices, by league sources. ESPN noted that these choices will be a second round of Los Angeles Clippers in 2025 and a second round in 2025 Mavericks.

Lakers land Dončić with a succession plan

There have been speculation for weeks as to what the next move of the Lakers was going to be – or not – with the deadline to approach.

The leagues and team sources have suggested soaking expectations with the lakers only with medium -sized disappointing wages and two first -round choices they appreciated.

No one has seen it coming.

In a seismic decision that will determine the management of the franchise for the years to come, the Lakers have acquired the next face of their franchise in Dončić. They are put in place as well as possible for the post-James era.

I can no longer say what is real and false on these applications. Luka really goes to the Lakers or Nah?

– CJ McCollum (@cjmccollum) February 2, 2025

The cost was steep: Davis, their best player and the next face of the franchise, a wing in 3 and emerging in Christie and their first -round choice in 2029 unprotected. The Lakers will take a notable step back defensively and will not have as deeply a list as before. They also clearly need a starting center – which Davis was demanding before being treated.

But the price was undoubtedly worth it to Dončić, a generational talent that has often been compared to James because of his unprecedented score mixture, game creation and Qi of basketball at its size. He has already gone to the conference final and the NBA final. James is the kind of mentor that can show him how to overcome the bump in the championship.

The Lakers’s offensive is soaring once it is healthy, and as James finally decides its future in the coming seasons, Dončić can take the coat of the next Grand Laker.

As has been historically the case with Lakers for decades, they still find their next superstar. – Jovan Buha, Lakers Beat Writer

What this job means for Mavs

Only eight months withdrawn from an appearance in the NBA final, the Mavericks exchange their superstar guard which they targeted in the 2018 draft.

Dončić, a teenage prodigy who won the Euroleague MVP at 19, was appointed All-Star in his second NBA season. In 2022, Dončić’s eliminatory heroism helped the Mavericks to make a surprise race for the Western Conference final.

Last spring, Dončić again brought Dallas back to the conference final alongside Irving Colist. This time, Dallas qualified for the NBA final. Dončić collected an average of 32.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 8.2 assists in the victory of five Dallas games over the Minnesota Timberwolves. His winning shot on Rudy Gobert in match 2 was a decisive moment in the series.

The Mavericks have entered this season with championship aspirations. They won 15 of the 17 games for their Christmas match against the Timberwolves. Dončić left this match in the first half with a left veal strain and has not been able to play since. He had to come back some time before the stars break.

Mavericks Director of Mavericks, Nico Harrison, is expected to contact the team before Sunday’s match against Cleveland riders to explain why Dallas did this business, said sources of the league.

Last summer, the Mavericks acquired Klay Thompson in a sign and an exchange. Thompson has signed a three -year contract worth 50 million dollars to play alongside Irving and Dončić. This trio ended up playing in 20 games together before Dončić was injured and then was exchanged.

Dončić, who will be 26 years later this month, between his early years.

Davis is in his 13th NBA season. He remains one of the most productive great men in the league. It is on average 25.7 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks.

Davis expressed the desire to play alongside other Los Angeles centers. If the Mavericks want to play Davis at Forward, they can insert Daniel Gafford or Dereck Lively II next to him.

Davis is under contract throughout the 2026-27 season. It has a player option in 2027-28 for $ 62.8 million.

Dončić’s displacement will increase the charge that the Irving must carry offensively. The 32 -year -old man is in the middle of a strong season, while facing a bombed disc in the back. Irving has a decision to be made on his future this summer. He has a player option of $ 44 million for next season. – Christian Clark, Mavericks Beat Writer

Was it the right decision for Utah?

Jazz, in the midst of a reconstruction, is in wage accumulation mode and will continue to be in the days leading to the deadline for trade, according to sources of the League.

This is the second job of Utah day. Previously, they concluded an agreement with the Los Angeles clippers, picking up a second round choice and the salary of Mo Bamba and PJ Tucker. Jazz should go from Bamba to the near future, according to league sources.

The question is why jazz would work to help Lakers? Utah has the first round choices of Los Angeles in 2027, Top-4 Protected. This is a job that should make a better team, and maybe even a championship team. This can certainly devalue the choice a little. – Tony Jones, Jazz Beat writer

Get her a young superstar, but where does it leave Dallas?

How do the Lakers, in a coherent way, decade after decade, do they succeed?

They obtained Kareem at its peak. They obtained Kobe at the start of his career. They obtained the Shaq at its peak. They obtained Pau Gasol at its peak. They obtained James, if not at its peak, not so far. They have … Davis at its peak.

And now they get Dončiċ, who was the first team of five consecutive years, and just led his good but barely impregnable to the final in the past year, when he enters his peak. They now have the post-Lebron era ready to leave. If Luka is dominant with the ball – you are looking for “heliocentric” in the dictionary, and there is his photo – it is always a great talent and other big talents will want to play with him.

The part of the Lakers of this business is easy to understand. This season does not matter. They had to prepare for the next decade without LeBron. They just have it.

But I try to deal with this from the point of view of the Mavs. If you accept at their nominal value, they always had problems with the packaging of Dončiċ and worried about its long -term future because of this – and did not want to commit a supermax contract of $ 345 this summer – OK. I do not receive the time to do it now, because you can sign it at the supermax and have, at least 15 to 20 teams that would line up and try to conclude an agreement for him. It’s Luka Dončiċ. She is a superstar. Superstars his age Never become available via trade. But, ok. You want to exchange it now.

But, if that’s the case … You don’t call Miami Heat and don’t ask Bam Adebayo? You do not call Memphis’ grizzles and do not ask Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane? Don’t call the riders and ask Evan Mobley? You do not call… the Milwaukee Bucks… and ask Giannis? Do you focus only on Davis?

I have been covering the NBA for 37 years. Almost nothing that happens – the offers, the signatures of the free agents, the hires / shots of the coach – rises at the level, as the great Ben Bradlee called them, the stories “Saint S – T”. You just get used to the unexpected.
It is a “saint s – t” profession.

– David Aldridge (@davidaldridGedc) February 2, 2025

Davis is always a great player, of course. It may well be a selection of the first All-NBA team this season. But he is a great 31-year-old with history of injuries, and your remaining co-star in Dallas, Irving, is 31 years old. For Davis, as well as a future first round choice.

The Knicks just abandoned five First rounds… for Mikal Bridges!

What’s going on in the name of Al Bianchi here?

According to all accounts, Dončiċ did not know that it was going to happen and had not published any type of request for internal trade. So it doesn’t matter that he would have signed again with the team that has acquired it now. There is no guarantee that he will sign again with the Lakers, and supported it on the relaxation, anyway. Because you press Luka Dončiċ’s trigger! And you discover the rest later! Other teams with younger superstars would also have reached Luka’s trigger. It is so good.

You have to ask yourself if it would have happened if Mark Cuban had been the main owner of the franchise. Lord knows Dončiċ and the Mavs have had their problems over the years, and if we can accept at its nominal value, the idea that New Orleans’ Pelicans cannot stick to Zion Williamson long Term with his injury past, you can at least start to see why Dallas thought that Luka was worth it.

But, Lord. They would be better. – David Aldridge, columnist of the NBA

– Marcus Thompson, Fred Katz and Mike Vorkunov contributed to this report.

Learn more about the magnificent trade of Luka-Anthony Davis:

(Photo: Tim Heitman / Getty Images)