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Yes, this is real. According to ESPN Sham Charania late Saturday, the Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to trade All-NBA big man Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks for superstar Luka Doncic in a blockbuster deal that includes the Utah Jazz.
Here are the details of the seismic shifting three-team deal that shocked the sports world.
Los Angeles Lakers receive:
Luka Doncic
Markieff Morris
Maxi Kleiber
Dallas Mavericks receive:
Anthony Davis
Max Christie
2029 1st-round pick
Utah Jazz get:
Jalen Hood-Schifino
2025 2nd-round pick
2025 2nd-round pick (via Clippers)
This is a historic moment in NBA history. It's the first time two All-NBA players [Davis and Doncic] have been traded for each other in midseason. Such substantial trades are a rarity, especially when it involves trading away a generational talent such as Doncic, 25, who’s just entering the prime of his career fresh off a Finals appearance. The last time someone of Doncic’s caliber was traded in their prime was in 1975 when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was traded to the Lakers from Milwaukee.
This is an utter shock for Mavericks fans, who thought Doncic was the face of the franchise for the next decade. It wasn't even a bidding war, as the Mavericks didn't make Doncic openly available. However, Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison stated why he made such a ghastly move.
"I believe that defense wins championships," Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison told ESPN's Tim MacMahon, explaining his motivation to deal Doncic for Davis. "I believe that getting an All-Defensive center and an All-NBA player with a defensive mindset gives us a better chance. We're built to win now and in the future."
Harrison initiated trade talks with Rob Pelinka, the Lakers' president of basketball operations and general manager. Both have a history: Harrison was Kobe Bryant's marketing manager at Nike when Pelinka was Bryant’s agent. With LeBron James, 40, approaching the end of his career, the Lakers wanted to bring in a young superstar to carry the torch and keep them in the spotlight.
Adding Doncic gives the Lakers just that, as he’s been named to the All-NBA's first team in five of his six NBA seasons by the age of 25—the most all-time in that span. Despite being such a transcendent talent, the Mavericks star’s conditioning has been a constant issue throughout his career, missing all but 22 games this season due to a calf injury that has kept him sidelined. He’s never played more than 72 games in a season.
Doncic’s poor defense and lack of conditioning were evident in the Finals against the Boston Celtics when he routinely got blown by. Doncic’s lack of conditioning and a looming $345 million supermax extension decision this summer influenced the Mavericks' front office's stunning decision as they were deemed "terrified" of his health long-term.
Doncic, Davis, and even James were unaware a trade was about to happen. Doncic will not be eligible for the Supermax at the end of this season, having a $48.9 million player option at the end of the 2026-27 season. The Lakers always find a way to get their next star of the next generation via draft, trade, or free agency. Drafting Magic Johnson in 1979 or Kobe Bryant in 1996, along with signing Shaquille O’Neal that summer, pairing Davis with James in 2019, and now Doncic. All worries about their future post-LeBron have now evaporated.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks are betting on themselves to win now after trading away their franchise cornerstone. A Kyrie Irving-AD pairing sounds very enticing, considering Davis can now play at power forward (his preferred position), with the Mavericks having centers Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II to alleviate pressure off him. They have a well-balanced attack from the inside (Davis) and outside (Irving), along with a shooter to spread the floor in Klay Thompson and quality role players.
The Mavericks are 26-23, eighth in the West, and have lost six of their last ten games. They are 2.5 games back from a top-six seed and guaranteed playoff spot and 1.5 ahead of falling to 11th and out of the playoff picture. Meanwhile, the Lakers are nine games over .500, winning eight of their last ten, good for fifth in the Western Conference.
The Lakers still have the 2031 first-round pick they can use to trade for another piece to build alongside Doncic and James. The Laker's defense will take a massive hit with their defensive backline and anchor gone, who made up for his teammates' shortcomings defensively. Add in the fact that Doncic and James are both ball-dominant with usage rates north of 30%, and it’ll be enticing to see how they will play off one another along with the supporting cast.
Doncic is averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 7.8 assists per game this season, while Davis is averaging 25.7 points and 11.9 rebounds. In the Western Conference, the Lakers' title odds jumped from 40-1 to 16-1, behind the Denver Nuggets (+1400) and Oklahoma City Thunder (+225) per ESPN Bet. Meanwhile, the Mavericks dropped from 25-1 to 40-1 at ESPN BET before returning to 33-1 early Sunday.
This deal shows us that the second apron has put teams with no room for flexibility or much room for error. It’ll be interesting to see what both organizations do from here and also show if a player of the caliber of Doncic isn’t untradeable…Nobody is untouchable.
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