The Los Angeles Lakers rocked the NBA on Saturday night by sending Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round draft pick to the Dallas Mavericks for Luka Doncic, forward Maxi Kleber and forward Markieff Morris.
Full trade —
Lakers receive: Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, Markieff Morris
Mavs receive: Anthony Davis, Max Christie and 2029 first-round pick
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) February 2, 2025
No one saw this move coming at all, and everyone across the sports world is in total shock.
Nah shams gotta be hacked 💀
— Alex Caruso (@ACFresh21) February 2, 2025
I can’t tell what’s real and fake anymore on these apps. Luka really going to the lakers or nah ?
— CJ McCollum (@CJMcCollum) February 2, 2025
Wow it’s real lol 😂 I’m going to sleep
— CJ McCollum (@CJMcCollum) February 2, 2025
HUH!!!!
— Tyrese Maxey (@TyreseMaxey) February 2, 2025
— Rudy Gay (@RudyGay) February 2, 2025
Luka lake show 👀
— Dwight Howard (@DwightHoward) February 2, 2025
WOWWWWW NO F WAY
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) February 2, 2025
A couple of big figures from the NFL also chimed in on the big news.
How does the effect Bronny tho? https://t.co/X1VY3ETopi
— AB (@AB84) February 2, 2025
Wait what?
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) February 2, 2025
I’m sick rn…. https://t.co/IGiojb3OXT
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) February 2, 2025
Davis had missed the Lakers’ last two games with an abdominal strain. While some fans of the Purple and Gold have criticized Davis over the years for his supposed flaws and shortcomings, there was absolutely no indication that he wanted out or that LeBron James wanted him to be traded.
Doncic will give L.A. a 25-year-old superstar who can carry the torch long after James leaves. He’s averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists a game this season, and he has seemingly also expanded his game a bit by notching 2.0 steals per game. He took the Mavericks to the NBA Finals last summer when few expected them to get that far.
He has his own flaws, but the team will now have two absolutely lethal triple-threat superstars who can take pressure off of each other. Austin Reaves, the team’s 26-year-old stud guard, is also still around, and it will be interesting to see how the chemistry will be among the three of them.
Los Angeles, however, is now weak at the center position. Jaxson Hayes, who is barely an adequate backup 5, will now be its full-time starter, and behind him, the squad only has two-way prospects in Christian Koloko and Trey Jemison III.
At the same time, Kleber could give it a decent defender in the frontcourt, as well as someone who has, in the past, been a decent 3-point shooter, although he’s struggling in that department this season. Morris, 35, returns to the Lakers, a team he signed with late in the 2019-20 season and won an NBA championship with. He has played in just seven games this season.