– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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“Luka Magic” now has a new home in Hollywood.
In one of the most surprising, out-of-the-blue trades in NBA history, the Dallas Mavericks are sending Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to the Los Angeles Lakers for another fellow All-Star, Anthony Davis, along with Max Christie and a first-round draft pick, as part of a three-team deal that also includes the Utah Jazz. The news was first reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, and the news of the deal came just after the Lakers had defeated the New York Knicks in a nationally-televised game on Saturday evening.
With the NBA trade deadline fast approaching on Wednesday February 6, much of the news surrounding potential deals centered around disgruntled Miami Heat guard Jimmy Butler and, to a lesser extent, the Sacramento Kings’ De’Aaron Fox. To say the very least, Doncic and Davis were not seen as movable pieces, let alone being traded for each other, and further reporting suggests that both Doncic and LeBron James, the Lakers’ superstar and now current teammate, were surprised by the news of the deal.
For the Lakers, the pairing of James and Doncic, who’s been sitting out with a calf injury, again provides the Los Angeles a dynamic 1-2 punch that it’s been known for throughout the franchise’s history, whether it be the trio of Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, or the combos of Magic and Kareem or Kobe and Shaq or even Kobe and Pau Gasol. In the long term, the move probably signals the beginning of the succession plan with Showtime once James, 40, hangs up his sneakers for good. Ironically, the ESPN broadcast of the Lakers-Knicks game inquired about how many more times LeBron would play inside Madison Square Garden as part of a larger question into how many more years he would still be playing in the league.
Just eight months ago, the Mavericks were playing in the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics, and the initial questions and doubts about Doncic being paired with another NBA superstar, Kyrie Irving, turned into optimism about the franchise’s direction after Dallas made its magical run to the Western Conference title. The assumed heir to the mantel that 14-time All-Star Dirk Nowitki held during his 21-season career spent entirely in Dallas, Doncic’s legacy in Big D is more about “what ifs” instead of being the champion that the former became as a Maverick in 2011. Questions about his conditioning, effort on the defensive end and incessant complaining to officials to get calls did rub some in the city and in NBA circles the wrong way at times, but his superstardom and ability to carry Dallas to great heights endeared him to the fans and a legion of supporters around the world.
Davis’ addition will allow the 10-time All-Star to play at his natural power forward position, as Daniel Gafford is the established center. (Dereck Lively, Dallas’ first-round selection last year who played well down the stretch in the middle, is out with injury.) The big question with Davis will be, as always, injuries, yet Davis’ presence inside on both ends of the floor could work well alongside Gafford, Irving and Klay Thompson at the guard spots, and P.J. Washington on the wing.
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