No one saw this one coming.
Not even in the most feverish corners of the NBA trade machine. The Los Angeles Lakers, fresh off a hard-fought win over the New York Knicks on Saturday night, just shook the league to its core.
BREAKING: The Dallas Mavericks are trading Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick, sources tell ESPN. Three-team deal that includes Utah.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 2, 2025
In a move so shocking that many questioned if Shams Charania had been hacked, the Lakers have traded Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick to the Dallas Mavericks for Luka Dončić, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris in a blockbuster three-team deal that also included the Utah Jazz.
Yes, you read that right.
Luka Dončić, the 25-year-old generational talent who has made five straight All-NBA First Teams, is now a Laker.
There was no buildup. No trade rumblings. No rumors. Just a bomb dropped on the NBA world, and a seismic shift in the sports landscape. Even the most plugged-in insiders had no clue that either team was even considering a move of this magnitude.
Then, in an instant, the league's balance of power shifted.
For the Lakers, this isn’t just about getting younger; it’s about setting the franchise up for dominance beyond the LeBron James era. Dončić isn’t just a co-star for LeBron—he’s the heir to the throne. While Davis was a force on both ends of the floor, he was also injury-prone and never fully realized his potential as the Lakers' offensive focal point.
With Dončić, the Lakers now has one of the most complete offensive engines in NBA history, a player capable of carrying a team night after night with his scoring, playmaking, and uncanny ability to manipulate defenses.
But what about Dallas?
According to Charania, it was the Mavericks that reached out to the Lakers about interest in this trade. Mark Cuban just did the unthinkable—he traded away the face of his franchise. The player Mavericks fans never thought would leave. In return, he gets Anthony Davis, an elite two-way big man who, when healthy, can be a game-changer. But can he be the guy? That’s the biggest question.
Luka and Kyrie Irving had found a rhythm, but the Mavericks clearly believed their ceiling was capped with two ball-dominant guards. Davis changes that dynamic, providing interior dominance and defensive stability that could unlock a different style of play.
Yet, there’s no escaping the reality of this trade: Dallas just gave up a 25-year-old superstar for a 31-year-old big man with an extensive injury history. It’s a risk that could either rejuvenate the franchise or send it spiraling into regret.
Does this move make the Lakers, who currently sit in 5th place in the Western Conference, and have the same amount of losses as the 4-seeded Denver Nuggets ahead of them, title contenders? That's still left to be seen, but they may have just secured their future for the next decade. Dončić will take the reins as James transitions into the twilight of his career.
Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and the rest of the supporting cast now get to operate alongside one of the most gifted playmakers the game has ever seen.
For Dallas, it’s about immediate contention. Davis and Irving will have to prove that their fit works, and fast. If it doesn’t? The Mavericks could be looking at one of the most lopsided trades in league history.
NBA history is filled with shocking trades—Shaq to Miami, Kareem to the Lakers, Harden's moves between teams—but this one? This one might top them all.
The landscape of the NBA just changed in a way no one expected. And now, we all wait to see how it plays out.
