Lakers' surprise trade for Luka Doncic repositions them for long-term success

In this era of "insiders" leaking details of trades before they happen, the Lakers' acquisition of Luka Doncic came from out of nowhere. And it very well could lead them somewhere good.

Can’t be too careful these days about believing what you read on the internet.

So, after watching the Lakers easily defeat the New York Knicks Saturday night at Madison Square Garden and thinking the Lakers could actually go deep in the playoffs if they made a tweak or two before the NBA trade deadline hits on Thursday, I thought it was a joke when I saw social media posts declaring they had acquired five-time all-star and five-time first team all-NBA guard Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks for Anthony Davis.

No way that could be true. And that was a common reaction.

The Lakers supposedly were looking for a center, an idea Davis had strongly backed. Davis, though recently sidelined by an abdominal injury, had averaged 25.7 points per game (ninth in the NBA through Saturday’s games) and 11.9 rebounds per game, ranking sixth in that category.

True, he always seemed to have some injury or another and he’s nearly 32, but in his last two full games before the abdominal injury forced him out of the lineup he had 42 points and 23 rebounds against Charlotte and 36 points and 13 rebounds against Golden State. He was a defensive force. A cornerstone of the franchise alongside LeBron James when the Lakers won the 2020 NBA championship in the COVID bubble. Davis seemed entrenched in the Lakers’ lineup, a bridge between the last days of the LeBron era and whatever would come next for the Lakers. Trade Davis? No way.

Yes, way.

In a stunning move that ranks as one of the most surprising in NBA history—and all sports, given the caliber and prime status of the players involved—the Lakers acquired Doncic as the centerpiece of a three-team trade that also brought them forward/centers Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris. Their price was sending Davis, emerging guard Max Christie, and a future first-round draft pick to Dallas, in addition to dealing guard Jalen Hood-Schifino and a future second-round pick to the Utah Jazz. The Mavericks reportedly initiated the trade by contacting the Lakers, who understandably jumped at the chance to get him.

The cost seems incredibly cheap for Doncic, a 25-year-old who is one of three players in NBA history to have earned five all-NBA first-team honors before the age of 26, following Kevin Durant and Tim Duncan. He’s also the second player, after Oscar Robertson, to record at least 10,000 points, 3,000 rebounds and 3,000 assists over his first 400 career games; he has 12,089 points, 3,655 rebounds, and 3,489 assists.

The most frequently voiced concern about Doncic is his conditioning, or supposed lack thereof, and here’s the Mavericks’ explanation of the move, from general manager Nico Harrison. Doncic hasn’t played since Christmas Day because of a calf strain, but that’s not expected to be a long-term concern. With his contract including a player option in 2027, he has every incentive to improve his conditioning with the Lakers, who eagerly wanted him.

James, at 40, remains a marvel. But he’s not the Lakers’ future. Doncic can be that for them for the next decade, the latest superstar to arrive in a town that knows and appreciates star power. He can opt out of his contract in 2027, but he should still be in his prime and able to cash in.

“Luka is a one-of-a-kind, young global superstar who will lead this franchise for years to come,” Rob Pelinka, the Lakers’ general manager and vice president of basketball operations, said in a press release issued on Sunday.

“His killer instincts and commitment to winning championships will be a driving force for the team. We will be relentless in building a roster around the on-court vision Coach [JJ] Redick has for this basketball team and there is an unwavering commitment to that work to serve our loyal and dedicated fans. We are grateful for today and look forward to what’s next.”

What, exactly, is coming next?

Good question. Dan Woike of the L.A. Times takes a stab at answering that here. And L.A. Times columnist Bill Plaschke urged the Lakers’ next move be to trade James. I’m reserving judgment on that until James says what he thinks about the deal and how he intends to approach the rest of the season.

Maybe, instead of being unhappy about the move and resistant to the idea of playing alongside Doncic, as Plaschke and others have suggested could be the case, James recovers from his surprise and accepts this as his last, best chance to add another championship to his glittering resume and he finds a way to mesh with Doncic. Remember, the Lakers, who face the Clippers at the Intuit Dome on Tuesday before returning home to play Golden State on Thursday, likely aren’t finished making moves. Pelinka said as much in the press release, when he said the Lakers will be “relentless in building a roster” around Redick’s vision. Whether James shares that vision is the key question.

If his ego was irreparably bruised by not being informed about the trade before it was announced and he hints he’d be open to moving to another team, that’s a different story. In that case, trading him could turn out to be the Lakers’ best option. Let them move on in full force, not piece by piece. Let them get younger and contend for years to come, with Doncic as their focal point.

The shock of the deal instantly triggered declarations that it was the biggest trade in NBA history, if not in all of sports. The biggest NBA trade in recent years? Sure. But the 1975 trade of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a three-time league MVP and two-time scoring champion from Milwaukee to the Lakers still deserves top ranking. Abdul-Jabbar (who had requested to live Milwaukee) won three MVP awards and five championships with the Lakers. The Warriors’ trade of five-time NBA scoring champion Wilt Chamberlain to the Philadelphia 76ers in 1965 is up there, too. It’s fun to debate. Here’s a comprehensive list of the biggest of the many big, blockbuster trades in NBA history.

As for other sports, the Boston Red Sox’s sale of a guy named Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees had a tad bit of an impact. And—sorry if feelings are still raw—Boston’s trade of Mookie Betts to the Dodgers has been a steal, too.

But in terms of changing not only on the teams involved in the deal but altering the course of the league and the sport, I think the Edmonton Oilers’ trade of Wayne Gretzky to the Kings in 1988 tops them all.

Gretzky was 27 and an eight-time league MVP, five-time goalscoring leader, seven-time scoring champion and a four-time Stanley Cup champion when the cash-strapped Oilers traded him to the Kings with Mike Krushelnyski and Marty McSorley for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, three first-round draft picks and $15 million in cash. It was monumental for the Oilers, who faced protests from fans and even suggestions from politicians that Gretzky was too big a Canadian asset to be allowed to play for a team based in the United States.

The Oilers won another championship in 1990. Gretzky never won a title again, but his impact on the Kings and on the NHL was immeasurable. He created a hockey boom in southern California that’s in third generation, and he gave the league an identifiable and marketable face. He’s widely credited with generating enough interest in hockey beyond its traditional cold-weather-city base to lead to the NHL’s Sunbelt expansion. When he retired in 1999, he held 61 NHL records. He still holds or shares 57. That’s the definition of impact.

The next few days will be interesting for the Lakers. What will LeBron say about the the trade for Doncic? Will he commit to staying in Los Angeles? Will Pelinka be able to make another move and pull it off in as stealthy a way as he made the Doncic deal? We’ll know soon. Whatever the Lakers’ fate, at least they’re not dull.