Blockbuster NBA deal sends Luka Dončić to the LA Lakers

The GIST: Jaws dropped across the NBA late Saturday night as news of a stunning blockbuster trade — one that’s sending five-time All-NBA first-teamer Luka Dončić to the LA Lakers and ten-time All-Star Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks — broke while most hoops fans were snug in their beds. That’s right, it’s 1000% real.

The details: In addition to LA and Dallas, the three-team stunner also involves the Utah Jazz. The Mavs will move the face of their franchise in Dončić, as well as Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris, to the Lakers while Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick head to Dallas. The Jazz, meanwhile, picked up LA’s Jalen Hood-Schifino and a pair of 2025 second-round picks.

The implications: At first (and second) glance, the deal makes little sense for the Mavs. There were concerns about Dončić’s conditioning, but trading a generational hooper who just led your squad to the NBA Finals last season while averaging nearly a triple-double is decidedly not it.

• Meanwhile, the Lakers are making moves for the post–LeBron James era. The 40-year-old’s time in the league will eventually come to a close, and now LA has a 25-year-old superstar to carry the Purple and Gold legacy whenever James decides to hang ’em up.

Zooming out: As per NBA insider Shams Charania, the trade “materialized in the shadows” with neither Dončić nor Davis knowing the deal was in the works. Neither superstar asked for a trade while everyone — from other teams’ front offices to diehard fans — presumed Dončić, a perennial MVP candidate, was untouchable in the trade market. At least someone’s keeping their word.

• With Thursday’s trade deadline looming, it’s evident that though top-tier players are more empowered than ever, a double standard remains in the NBA — one where general managers have the final say and can move anyone, even superstars, on a whim.