The NBA had suddenly shifted as the seemingly unstoppable Luka Doncic had been traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. This shook players, coaches, and even NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said, “I was shocked, I followed it like a fan.” Doncic had come a historical playoff run averaging 29.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 8.1 rebounds. As if those stats weren’t crazy enough his monster run came with a final appearance against the Boston Celtics, which makes this trade all the more surprising. The details included in full, Los Angeles gets Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris, while Dallas receives Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 Lakers first-round pick. The Jazz, meanwhile, get Jalen Hood-Schifino from Los Angeles and two second-round picks.
The Mavericks GM, Nico Harrison explained this by saying he wanted a “Defensive upgrade” as there were controversial concerns for Luka’s conditioning. With this the Lakers hold a bright spot in their future after LeBron’s retirement but could also extend his due date as he said “I have not given it that type of thought,” James said via ESPN. “Just the excitement of being able to add a caliber player like that, a generational talent like that to our franchise, it’s something that’s given me energy. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do. … I think we could be good going down the stretch. But we’ll see what happens.”
Now the Lakers season before Doncic had not been too bad with their new head coach J.J Reddick taking over, they sit at 5th in a tough western conference. They had attempted to acquire Center, Mark Williams in trade soon after but it was unexpectedly rescinded after he reportedly failed a physical examination, leading to significant backlash from his agent, Williams’ agent claims that the failed physical was not the only reason for the trade’s cancellation, suggesting deeper issues within the Lakers organization The situation has raised questions about the Lakers’ decision-making process and their treatment of players, as Williams was expected to fill a crucial role on the team, Obviously this hindered the lakers progression at there finals hopes as they lack depth at the center position, with Anthony Davis gone it is only Jackson Hayes and the injured Christian wood on the roster.
Doncic debut was a little shaky as he had been sidelined with a calf injury since December 25, 2024. With so much discourse following the trade about his conditioning, it was easy to see that he wasn’t 100 percent yet. Doncic moved slowly down the court at times, but he still made some of his patented step-back 3s, look-away passes, and full-court outlets during his 23-plus minutes on the court. He still managed 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists in a win against the Jazz.
With the future bright they will still have to get through a monster western conference if they want to sniff the finals as the Denver Nuggets have seemed to be their kryptonite for the past 2 seasons. The pieces are there but now it will come to execution for the Lakers.
