The Los Angeles Lakers had a nightmare game against the Oklahoma City Thunder – not only did they lose 139-96, but superstar Luka Doncic suffered a hamstring injury in the third quarter, ending his night.

Doncic, 27, is set to undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the hamstring injury, according to head coach JJ Redick, as the Lakers fanbase and organization hold their breath, as this comes at the worst time, right before the playoffs.

“At this point, at this juncture of the season, it’s the last thing you want to see,” Doncic’s teammate LeBron James said. “When you have an MVP candidate on your team, the last thing you want to see is somebody go down with a hamstring injury…. So, pray for the best, for sure, and a speedy recovery.”

Doncic appeared to have injured his hamstring at the end of the first half, but according to Redick, he was checked out and cleared to stay in the game before ultimately suffering the injury.

“We checked him out,” Redick said. “He got work done. He was cleared. I mean, again, we’re not going to put a player at risk.”

Doncic was just named the Western Conference Player of the Month for the second time this season and is just one game away from qualifying for the end-of-season awards.

The Lakers (50-27) currently sit third in the Western Conference with just five games left, holding a narrow one-game lead over the Denver Nuggets.

The second NBA All-Star ballot has come through, and there are many talented players attempting to push their way to the All-Star starting lineup.

Luka Dončić of the Los Angeles Lakers is currently leading all players in votes, with over two million. Doncic is one of two players with two million or more votes, along with Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks. 

The All-Star voting is slightly different this season. There are no position locks, which means you can vote for whatever collection of players you wish. There are still conference locks, which means you vote for five Eastern Conference players and five Western Conference players.

The current vote leaders are:

West

Luka Dončić – point guard – Lakers

Nikola Jokic – center – Nuggets

Stephen Curry – point guard – Warriors 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – point guard – Thunder

Victor Wembanyama – center – Spurs 

East

Giannis Antetokounmpo – power forward – Bucks

Jalen Brunson – point guard – Knicks

Tyrese Maxey – point guard – Sixers

Cade Cunningham – point guard – Pistons

Donovan Mitchell – shooting guard – Cavaliers 

All the players who are currently leading the voting have made at least one All-Star team in the past. Antetokounmpo, Wembanyama, and Jokic have dealt with injuries this season and may sit out the game. 

All-Star voting will end on January 14. The starters will be announced on January 19 on NBC and Peacock. The reserves will be announced a few days later and selected by the coaches. There will be three All-Star rosters, one world team featuring players born outside the U.S. and two U.S. teams.

It’s unclear if the U.S. teams will be drafted by the coaches or randomly created. All-Star voting does not guarantee much outside of a spot in the game. The NBA has been trying to shake up the game for years to make it interesting.   

Luka Doncic signed a three-year, $165 million contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday. When the contract was signed and the ink was still drying, Doncic got a call from the face of the franchise for the past seven seasons: LeBron James.

James congratulated Doncic on the deal with a video call, sources familiar with the exchange confirmed to ESPN, after the contract was signed and before Doncic participated in a news conference at the Lakers’ practice facility Saturday.

James was not among the half-dozen teammates to attend the news conference or the group trip from Los Angeles to Las Vegas on Saturday night to attend the Backstreet Boys concert at The Sphere. But the call continued the support James has shown for Doncic since the Lakers shocked the basketball world by trading for the 26-year-old superstar in February.

“Luka has been my favorite player in the NBA for a while now,” James said on February 4 in his first public comments after his longtime teammate, Anthony Davis, was traded to Dallas to acquire Doncic.

The Lakers went 16-7 in the games James and Doncic played together down the stretch in the regular season.

When asked about Doncic’s impending contract decision following the Lakers’ first-round loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, James told ESPN he wanted Doncic to stick around – but he would not attempt to sway his decision.

“I hope, obviously, [he stays long term],” James told ESPN on April 30. “Laker fans f—ing love him here. L.A. has accepted him. We love him as a teammate, as a brother. But ultimately, he’s got to make a decision for him. S—, I ain’t going to be around much longer.”

Though James’ sentiments toward Doncic have been consistent, with sources telling ESPN that both players hold respect and reverence for each other, James’ thoughts about the Lakers are not as clear-cut.

James opted into the final year of his contract worth $52.6 million in June, setting up his record-setting 23rd season in the league in 2025-26 with the Lakers.

But when James opted in, his agent and Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul issued a statement to ESPN’s Shams Charania that opened the door for speculation about how the final chapter of the four-time champion’s career would play out.

“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Paul told ESPN on June 29. “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.

“We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him.”

Luka Doncic said he took a “huge step” in improving his health and conditioning this summer, adding that his “whole body looks better” after spending the past two months training in Croatia.

A report published on Monday included multiple photos of a significantly thinner Doncic. Men’s Health Magazine detailed the Los Angeles Lakers star’s offseason diet and fitness regimen.

Doncic said that he has stuck to a gluten-free, low-sugar diet that includes intermittent fasting and high levels of protein – at least 250 grams per day.

That diet, along with a rigorous training schedule, has yielded dramatic results.

“Just visually, I would say my whole body looks better,” said Doncic, who has faced criticism about his weight and conditioning throughout his seven-year NBA career.

Doncic struggled through an injury-plagued 2024-25 season, highlighted by the February blockbuster trade that sent the five-time All-Star from the Dallas Mavericks to the Lakers.

A calf injury limited Doncic to a career-low 50 games combined with the Mavericks and Lakers, who the Minnesota Timberwolves ousted in five games in the first round of the playoffs.

The 26-year-old has two years left on his contract with the Lakers, including a player option for 2026-27. The Lakers will be able to offer Doncic a four-year, $222 million extension as of August 2, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

Doncic contacted his manager one day after the Lakers were eliminated and informed her that he wanted to start his training program immediately.

“Every summer I try my best to work on different things,” he told Men’s Health. “Obviously, I’m very competitive. This summer was just a little bit different, you know. It kind of motivated me to be even better.”

That training included no basketball for a month, according to physiotherapist Javier Barrio, who said that Doncic didn’t resume shootaround work until June.

“I think that this summer, he sees the difference,” Barrio said, “and he’s really happy.”

As the distance grows from when superstar Luka Doncic was traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers, more details continue to be revealed.

On the Dan Patrick Show, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd revealed that he had not spoken to Doncic since the trade.

“I texted him that morning, and that’s the last time I’ve talked to him,” Kidd said.

When asked how Doncic responded, Kidd summarized. “I don’t think he was too happy. From the experience of being traded, maybe being surprised. Upset, feelings are high. But I loved the opportunity of coaching Luka. He’s an incredible person, and we all know his talent. He’s one of the best in the world.”

Additionally, Kidd told Patrick he found out about the trade just hours before it went through. He did not have a discussion with Mavericks GM Nico Harrison about whether to make the trade.

The Mavericks have been in the news yet again because of landing the number one overall pick in the NBA draft lottery.

Despite lucking into the opportunity to draft Cooper Flagg, more details continue to come out about the Doncic trade, each one more jarring than the last.

The Los Angeles Lakers fell in their first-round series to the Minnesota Timberwolves 4-1. Lakers head coach JJ Redick has pointed to various reasons for why the Lakers’ season ended in such a disappointing fashion.

One of those reasons is not being in “championship shape.”

“I’ll start with the offseason and the work that’s required in an offseason to be in championship shape,” Redick said. “There are individuals that were in phenomenal shape. There’s certainly other ones that could have been in better shape.”

While Redick did not single out a player, it’s very possible he was alluding to Lakers superstar Luka Doncic.

When Doncic was traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers in February, Doncic’s physical shape was reportedly one of the reasons the Mavericks shopped Doncic.

Despite the widespread criticism of the trade, it appears that Doncic’s physical shape could have been a factor in the Lakers’ losses.

There are other holes the team acknowledged to the media for the reasons why the Lakers struggled, among them was the lack of rebounding.

In game five, Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert finished with career playoff highs of 27 points and 24 rebounds.

“I think when you make a huge trade at the deadline where you trade your starting center for a point guard, of course, that’s going to create significant issues with the roster, and we saw some of those play out,” Rob Pelinka, GM of the Lakers, said.

The Lakers’ future, and more specifically, the future of LeBron James, has a level of uncertainty. Many have speculated that James will retire. If James continues to play, the Lakers will likely look to “run it back” with the same core.

In defending the blockbuster trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, Mavericks General Manager Nico Harrison kept repeating his motto: “defense wins championships.” The deal blindsided fans and led to constant chants demanding he be fired.

During an hourlong media session with Dallas reporters, Harrison and new CEO Rick Welts spent most of the time addressing the trade that sent Doncic to Los Angeles in exchange for Anthony Davis.

“There’s no regrets on the trade,” Harrison said. “Part of my job is to do the best thing for the Mavericks, not only today, but also in the future, and some of the decisions I’m going to make are going to be unpopular. That’s my job, and I have to stand by it.”

Harrison pulled the trigger on the trade just months after Doncic led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals. When asked about the backlash and fans calling for his firing, Harrison pointed to the earlier trades for Kyrie Irving, Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington.

“Well, the beauty of Dallas is it is a passionate fan base. For us to reach our goals, we need that fan base. And to be honest with you, every trade I’ve made since I’ve been here has not been regarded as a good trade, and so sometimes it takes time. When I traded for Kyrie, it was met with a lot of skepticism, and it was graded as a terrible trade. You didn’t see it right away, but eventually everyone agreed that that was a great trade. When I traded for [Gafford] and [Washington] again, it was like, ‘Oh, he gave up way too much. These guys aren’t going to help us.’ Now that trade, you saw the evidence a lot sooner. So I think a lot of times trades take a little bit of time.

“But our philosophy, like I said, going forward is defense wins championships, and we’re built on defense. And this trade cements us for that.”

The Mavericks finished last season with the league’s top defense over the final 20 games. While they were defeated by the Boston Celtics in five games during the Finals, defense was not the main issue. Dallas allowed just 109.2 points per 100 possessions in the series—a defensive rating that would’ve ranked second in the league during the regular season.

Harrison mortgaged the Mavericks’ future—giving up control of their first-round picks from 2027 to 2030—while making a series of win-now moves. He expressed confidence in the team’s potential over a three-to four-year championship window.

“We believe in the move we made. You obviously don’t, and that’s fine. You’re entitled to your opinions, but we’re excited. … I think once we win, then that will change your mind.”

The decision to trade superstar Luka Doncic has cost the Dallas Mavericks plenty of wins. The team is 38-42 and the tenth seed in the Western Conference.

The losses aren’t stopping there.

Team sources told ESPN that the decision to trade Doncic could cost the franchise nine figures in revenue. Ticket sales, merchandise and sponsorships have all taken massive hits as a result of the trade. Fans are canceling their season tickets in Groves.

If avoiding the inevitable super-max contract played a role in the decision to trade Doncic, it now appears the Mavericks will still face a similar, if not worse, deficit.

When Doncic returned to Dallas on Wednesday night, the Mavericks played a tribute video dedicated to his achievements with the team. While the video was well-received, it hardly mitigated the fans’ losses due to the trade. Fans in the crowd chanted “fire Nico” about Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison throughout the night.

To make matters even worse, the Los Angeles Lakers dominated the Mavericks 112-97 behind 45 points from Doncic. Doncic finished 16-28 from the field with eight rebounds and six assists.

Poor management and injuries have completely derailed a season that saw the Mavericks start the year with sixth-best odds in the NBA to win the Finals.

From the moment Luka Doncic was traded on Feb. 1, people have been curious to hear the opinion of Mark Cuban.

He is finally speaking out.

Cuban, who was previously the principal owner of the Dallas Mavericks and still currently holds a minority share, is finally speaking up about the infamous Doncic trade. Cuban has made it clear that if he were still the majority owner, Doncic would still be in Dallas.

“Nothing more to talk about, I wouldn’t have done this,” Cuban told Mavericks General Manager Nico Harrison over the phone.

Cuban’s response was similar to most NBA fans who were taken aback by the news of the trade.

In an interview on The Stephen A. Smith Show on Sunday, Cuban spoke fully about why he believes the Mavericks decided to send Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Cuban believes cultural differences played a factor.

“They look at the game differently,” Cuban said. “The guys that I’ve gotten to know from that region of the world are different. And I think that was what was not considered as fully as it should have been.”

Despite Doncic’s apparent flaws, he had just led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals, and it was inconceivable that a trade could be on the horizon.

The Luka-less Mavericks are likely to be in the play-in, where they will play the Memphis Grizzlies or the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Without Doncic, who knows what the future will hold for Dallas?

Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic has been ejected for the fifth time in his career. The circumstances were a little strange.

Doncic, 26, was trash-talking a fan who was sitting courtside during the Lakers’ 136-120 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Referee J.T. Orr mistook the trash talk to be targeted toward him and gave Doncic his second technical foul of the game.

Orr also issued Doncic his first technical foul when he argued that teammate Jarred Vanderbilt was hit in the head on an uncalled foul.

Once Doncic was ejected, the game flipped on its head. At the time of the ejection, there was 7:40 left in the fourth quarter and the Lakers were up 108-107.

The Thunder closed the game on a 29-12 run to blow out the Lakers.

Doncic finished the game with 23 points on 7-15 shooting. He also had five assists and three rebounds.

The fan, Jeremy Price, is no stranger to courtside trash talk. During the series between the Thunder and the Dallas Mavericks in last year’s playoffs, Price was courtside, speaking his mind to Doncic, similarly to today.

Price told ESPN that he believed Doncic was talking to him and not Orr at the time of ejection.

“He turned around, and he shot an expletive back [to Orr],” Price said. “J.T. happened to see it, and at that point, t’d him up.”

For Doncic and the Lakers, a much-anticipated trip to Dallas awaits. For Doncic, this is the first game in Dallas since he was traded back in February.

When Luka Doncic was traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers in one of the craziest trades in NBA history, not many nights like these were foreseen by the Lakers.

The Lakers fell to the Golden State Warriors 123-116, while Luka finished the game shooting 6-17 and 0-6 from three. He finished with 19 points, seven assists and eight rebounds.

“That performance from me is unacceptable,” Doncic said. “It makes it harder for the team to win.”

The Lakers played from behind most of the night. After leading 22-20 with 3:34 left in the first quarter, the Lakers gave up a three from Jonathan Kuminga and trailed the rest of the game.

Both Lebron James and Austin Reaves finished the game with over 30 points. Reaves finished with his career-high in 3-pointers made with nine.

The Lakers are now 5-5 in their last ten games.

For the Warriors, this win makes their fourth in a row and seven of their last ten. Steph Curry finished with 37 points, while a surprise 28 points from Brandin Podziemski pushed the Warriors over the hump.

This game had important playoff implications for both teams. The Lakers, now 46-30, sit one game ahead of the Warriors at 45-31.

On Friday, the Lakers played the New Orleans Pelicans and rebounded with a 108-124 win. The Pelicans announced on Monday that star Zion Williamson would be shut down for the rest of the year.

The strain between Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks is not disappearing anytime soon.

Tuesday night’s Los Angeles Lakers 107-99 win over Dallas had a notable spectator – Mavericks’ general manager Nico Harrison – just as more troubling reports emerged about Doncic.

According to The Athletic, “the people who witnessed Doncic’s last days in Dallas do not paint a flattering portrait of the 25-year-old’s professionalism.”

Included in the concerns were Doncic’s “taste for beer and hookah,” leading to fears that his health might result in a premature end to his career.

Seen celebrating a win that led Dallas to the NBA Finals last season, Doncic was drinking a beer when Mavericks’ executive Michael Finley took it out of his hands. Other videos emerged of Doncic smoking hookah, which LeBron James had joked about long before they were teammates.

Harrison, who facilitated the deal that swapped Doncic for Anthony Davis, had reportedly grown increasingly frustrated with Doncic’s conditioning and personal habits outside of basketball.

While Doncic shot three free throws in the second quarter, Lakers fans chanted, “Thank you Nico” with the TNT broadcast showing Harrison doing his best to ignore the heckling.

The Lakers’ fans weren’t the first to heckle the general manager.

Harrison faced taunts at an SMU basketball game on Feb. 12, while Mavericks fans were ejected from home games for chanting “Fire Nico” and displaying signs.

On Tuesday’s Hoops Collective Podcast, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon shared that Harrison typically sits courtside but has not done so at the American Airlines Center since the trade.

“I didn’t see him in warmups,”  Doncic said about Harrison, even though the general manager was seated on the scorer’s table, watching his pregame warmup.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported that Doncic and the Mavericks front office did not have any direct interaction.

Doncic finished the game with 19 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists.

The Los Angeles Lakers lost its first game with Luka Doncic, failing to take the second leg of a back-to-back with the lowly Utah Jazz in a 131-119 defeat. Doncic and LeBron James both delivered below-average performances, scoring 16 and 18 points, respectively.

Los Angeles has played Utah exclusively since acquiring Doncic, which doesn’t indicate much about the new roster’s ability to compete at the highest level. It is a good opportunity for Doncic to ease his way into the Lakers’ system, however, as it will inevitably take time for the longtime Mavericks star to adjust to a new system. 

Losing to the Jazz, now 13-40, by double digits is a bad night for any team, regardless of the circumstances. But because of the circumstances surrounding Doncic’s trade from the Mavericks, some critics have begun using the defeat as an affirmation of fitness and defensive concerns surrounding the Slovenian. Rather than feed into any existing drama, Lakers head coach J.J. Redick offered a common-sense explanation for his team’s poor play.

“We weren’t physical,” Redick said after the game. “We didn’t talk, never really got to a place in the game where we were talking and executing.”

Defense and physicality have been issues for the Lakers at times all season, and pointing them out carries far more weight than the vague rumors about Doncic’s off-court attitude. Another wanting aspect of this Lakers team is that it’s incomplete. 

The team tried to trade for Charlotte Hornets big man Mark Williams, only for that trade to be undone by a failed physical. Los Angeles signed seven-footer Alex Len earlier this week to fill the gap, but it will take time to fully replace the size that Anthony Davis provided.

The hype surrounding Doncic’s arrival to Los Angeles, and counter-swinging criticism of the Lakers’ newest star, is being confirmed and denied all the time on the court in these early days. Doncic has had brilliant moments and costly miscues, typical of any talented player making a massive mid-season adjustment. It’s a tough time for the Lakers to be competing for a playoff spot, but if James and Doncic can white-knuckle their way to a postseason, it could be a very dangerous thing for a stacked Western Conference to deal with.

A week after the shocking trade that sent Luka Doncic to Los Angeles, fan tumult in Dallas has not died down. In fact, as the news has sunk in, fans have only grown more resolutely frustrated – protesting outside American Airlines Center during the first home game after the trade and, now, bringing their ire to the jumbotron.

Fans weren’t shown on the big screen in the first game against the Houston Rockets, but they returned during a karaoke segment on Monday against the Sacramento Kings. That move proved a mistake: a fan immediately mouthed “Fire Nico,” in reference to Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison, a slogan that has become nearly ubiquitous in Mavericks spaces over the past week.

That fan, along with others holding “FIRE NICO” signs, would be removed from the arena during the game to raucous booing from the crowd.

Fans also expressed their displeasure with other members of the ownership group, booing Mavericks governor and majority owner Patrick Dumont and even getting into a shouting match with former owner Mark Cuban. The movement has even gone beyond Mavericks games – students at an SMU basketball game chanted, “Fire Nico!” as he sat courtside.

The trade caused many fans to swear off their Mavericks, at least temporarily, and these new crackdowns haven’t done the organization any favors. Neither did Dallas’ overtime loss to the Kings, or new star Anthony Davis’ apparent long-term injury.

The Mavs’ Klay Thompson and Kyrie Irving commented on the situation postgame, saying that they understood the fans’ frustration.

“You just got to give everybody grace,” Irving said. “To see the emotions come out like that over basketball, that just shows you that basketball is not just a game to certain people. It’s a spiritual experience. It’s a connector piece, and they watch their favorite players, and they want to see them forever. So, I run the side of just understanding where people are coming from.”

“I mean, people are going to say stuff, and that’s understandable,” Thompson said. “I was a fan, still a fan. If I didn’t agree with a trade, I’d probably voice my opinion too. That’s the beauty of sports. You go there to yell and be rambunctious sometimes.”

Most importantly, though, they emphasized the need for the players to block out the noise.

“It’s not our job to get deflated because people are upset,” said Thompson. “Our job is to convince them that there’s really great days ahead, not just for this year but for the next few years.”

That’s a promise that might be difficult to uphold, and not only because the Mavericks are injury-ridden. They’ve damaged their fanbase’s trust for good – and trust is a resource that’s hard to earn back.

Barely a week after the massively controversial trade that took star Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers, Doncic returned from a strained calf muscle that sidelined him for over a month to play his first game in Los Angeles as a Laker. Part of the team’s statement? Every one of the seats inside Crypto.com Arena was draped with a brand new Lakers Luka Doncic jersey shirt, emblazoned with his classic #77 and bright yellow.

“He came out … and obviously the place went crazy,” said teammate Austin Reaves. “It was awesome. I thought the energy from that point forward was great. His introduction in the starting lineup was one of the loudest I’ve heard since I’ve been here.”

Doncic’s introduction to Los Angeles comes amid a period of acclimation where he has seemed eager to embrace his new city – including his Foundation contributing $500,000 to wildfire relief efforts. Former Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki also attended the game, making a powerful statement of loyalty and support to the star who had been his presumptive torchbearer.

The Lakers went on to win the game 132-113, as Doncic posted 14 points, five rebounds and four assists in 24 minutes. He played 19 minutes with LeBron James, which the Lakers won by a net 17 points.

It wasn’t a statement game for Doncic, who went 5-for-14 from the field and 1-for-7 from three, but he was able to generate chemistry from his new teammates, albeit restricted by a cap on his minutes.

“Since I came here, I just wanted to play with them,” said Doncic following the game. “Every game I saw, they played amazing, very connected, and for me, it was just I want to be there with them.”

His introduction should lighten the load on James and Reaves, leaving them free to contribute more defensively and down the stretch. Lakers coach J.J. Redick was pleased with the effort, commenting postgame that he had thought of the game as a “no agenda game, beyond winning a basketball game and playing the right way.”

The stunning trade seems to have done its job in revitalizing the team. Now, the grind of the season begins anew.

“It’s a new team. New everything,” Doncic said. “But the way they helped me, teammates… it was just a lot of support for me. You could see when I came to the arena, I saw all the Luka jerseys. It was just a surreal feeling.”

In the aftermath of the Luka Doncic trade, LeBron James could reportedly consider signing another extension with the Los Angeles Lakers. Once thought to be winding down at age 40, the prospect of teaming with Doncic is said to be reigniting his interest in another championship pursuit. 

James’ current deal includes a player option next season, with many suspecting that he will retire when his current contract expires. But with the Lakers seriously pursuing more championships with Doncic on the roster, some reports now claim that the acquisition has the power to “extend James’ career.”

Jokes have been made for years about James’ longevity, which has allowed him to consistently perform at an elite level for more than two decades. Imagining this run extending much further, however, borders on irrational. Yet, James remains a pivotal part of a Lakers team that is suddenly in the hunt for another championship. 

Currently in fifth place in the Western Conference with a 29-19 record, the Lakers are already in a solid position for a playoff berth. But while Anthony Davis managed to get them into contention, adding Doncic could potentially put them over the top. Partially replacing Davis with young big man Mark Williams helps with size issues the team might have had in the wake of the Mavericks deal.

All of these changes in the middle of the season make Los Angeles a contender now, but they also make the team a contender for the foreseeable future. That’s what will likely make the decision to leave difficult for James. He and Davis were both winding down as a unit. Doncic is just getting started.

If James can run from Father Time for a few more seasons, fighting both body and mind, it suddenly feels like a real possibility for him to add a ring or two to his immense resume. It may be too tempting for the multigenerational superstar to pass up.

The Los Angeles Lakers finalized a trade Wednesday night to acquire Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams in exchange for Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2031 first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap. Williams will likely step into the role recently vacated by star big man Anthony Davis.

Williams, standing well above seven feet tall, will give the Lakers much-needed size after they sized down their starting five to acquire Luka Doncic. Many regard the trade for the Slovenian superstar as a supremely wise long-term decision, but it did give Los Angeles gaps to fill in the paint on defense. Williams should do some of the work to make up the difference.

In his third season with the Hornets, Williams has appeared in 23 games and is currently scoring 15.6 points with 9.6 rebounds per game. With his improved scoring, he is on track to have the best season in his short career. He is an ideal replacement for Davis, a young big man slowly but surely finding his way in the NBA. The team has shifted its focus from building around LeBron James to preparing for Doncic to eventually take over. Williams could be an excellent long-term addition.

Adding a lesser-known big man as massive, splashier trades occur around the league this week may diminish the impact of the move. But adding a big man ahead of a presumptive playoff run could easily prove integral to any playoff success the Lakers have. Doncic and James have both proven that it’s immensely hard to carry a team to a championship alone. They’ll need help, particularly in areas where they don’t typically contribute.

While Los Angeles prepares a new system around James and Doncic, the Hornets, currently 12-36, have struggled to build around star point guard LaMelo Ball. This trade could help matters in the long run, however. Reddish has not panned out as a reliable starter over the course of six NBA seasons, but Knecht has shown flashes of potential in his rookie year, scoring 9.4 points per game.

The Luka Doncic trade news sent shockwaves through the NBA world, it was so unexpected that even Shams Charania, the reporter who broke the news, initially thought his phone had been hacked. The entire NBA media world scrambled to make sense of it all.

With no concrete details available, speculation ran wild.

NBA reporter Marc Stein revealed that the Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison alone made the call to trade Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick.

Doncic was completely unaware of the trade. Harrison and Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka started discussions in early January, keeping it under wraps until the deal was finalized.

Since Saturday night, new details have emerged, each adding to the shock factor (Doncic’s conditioning and defensive effort under scrutiny), but the real shocker might be how Harrison and Pelinka pulled this off without a single leak – something almost unheard of in a league driven by chatter.

Even Jazz general manager Danny Ainge, whose involvement was essential in completing the deal, was kept out of the loop on just how massive this trade was.

Despite being the third team in the trade, the Utah Jazz – who took on Jalen Hood Schifino and landed two second-round picks – didn’t learn Doncic and Davis were involved until just an hour before the deal was finalized.

Ainge, who comes from the Lakers’ bitter rival, the Boston Celtics, only found out about Doncic heading to Los Angeles about 30 minutes before the deal was done. At that point, there was little he could do – the NBA was about to shift.

Billy Duffy, Doncic’s agent, had no prior knowledge of the deal either. Without any dialogue with Duffy or Doncic, the Lakers had no assurances that he would sign a long-term extension past 2026. That hesitation prevented them from including a second first-round pick, leaving many questioning how they managed to avoid it.

The news that broke Saturday night of Luka Doncic‘s trade to the Los Angeles Lakers ignited shockwaves of disbelief, anger and grief among Dallas Mavericks fans – and also for Doncic himself.

The star reportedly bought a $15 million house in Dallas just last week, cementing a stay that nearly everyone believed would be for the long haul. Doncic, who the Mavericks traded for during the 2018 Draft, led them to the NBA Finals just last year, leading the league with 33.9 points per game during the regular season. Since his rookie year, he’s received five All-Star and five All-NBA selections.

Dallas general manager Nico Harrison appears to have spearheaded the move in near-complete secrecy, even forgoing an additional pick from Los Angeles to avoid involving Doncic’s agent.

In the hours following, Mavericks fans kept vigil outside the American Airlines Center, where the team plays. Fans camped out and left tributes under the statue of Mavs legend Dirk Nowitzki, engraved with the motto, “Loyalty never fades away.” Some directed anger at Harrison and the ownership. Most milled around, transforming the plaza into a sort of communal grieving affair.

They weren’t the only ones devastated – Doncic reportedly cried when news of the trade broke.

On Sunday, as fans continued to gather, Doncic posted a statement thanking them, the city of Dallas, and the organizations he had worked with there. The statement did not mention the Mavericks organization.

The statement, titled ‘Dear Dallas’:

“Seven years ago, I came here as a teenager to pursue my dream of playing basketball at the highest level. I thought I’d spend my career here and I wanted so badly to bring you a championship. The love and support you all have given me is more than I could have ever dreamed of. For a young kid from Slovenia coming to the U.S. for the first time, you made North Texas feel like home.

In good times and bad, from injuries to the NBA Finals, your support never changed. Thank you not only for sharing my joy in our best moments, but also for lifting me up when I needed it most.

To all the organizations I’ve worked with throughout the Dallas community, thank you for letting me contribute to your important work and join you in bringing light to those who need it. As I start the next part of my basketball journey, I am leaving a city that will always feel like a home away from home.

Dallas is a special place, and Mavs fans are special fans.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.”

In the wake of the heartbreak, many Mavericks fans have disavowed their allegiance to the team. Doncic captioned the post “#MFFL” – Mavs Fan For Life.

“[The Mavs] could win every game the rest of the season, and win the championship, and it wouldn’t really matter, because all of the emotional value in that journey just got sucked away,” a fan told Fox 4 News.

“It feels like someone close to you died, in a way.”

In a stunning move that has shifted the NBA’s Western Conference dramatically, the Lakers, Mavericks, and Jazz agreed to a blockbuster trade, sending Luka Doncic to Los Angeles while Anthony Davis heads to Dallas.

The Lakers acquired Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris from the Mavericks. In return, Dallas received Davis, Max Christie and the Lakers’ 2029 first-round pick.

As part of the trade, the Jazz received Jalen Hood-Schifino, a 2025 second-round pick from the Clippers, and another 2025 second-rounder from the Mavericks.

“I believe that defense wins championships,” Mavericks’ general manager Nico Harrison said, elaborating on the thought process behind swapping 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.”

The Mavericks initiated the trade discussions a few days ago. Harrison and Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka have known each other for years, having worked closely with Kobe Bryant – Harrison as his Nike marketing manager and Pelinka as his agent.

The entire Lakers organization, from the front office to ownership and the coaching staff, were all on the same page about the trade, thrilled to land Doncic knowing that acquiring a generational talent requires giving up significant assets.

“Luka is a one-of-a-kind, young global superstar who will lead this franchise for years to come,” Pelinka shared in a statement issued by the team. “His killer instincts and commitment to winning championships will be a driving force for the team. We will be relentless in building a roster around the on-court vision Coach Redick has for this basketball team and there is an unwavering commitment to that work to serve our loyal and dedicated fans. We are grateful for today and look forward to what’s next.”

After the Lakers and Mavericks struck the deal, Pelinka made a series of three calls: one to Davis and Lakers coach JJ Redick, another to Davis’ agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, and the final one to LeBorn James.

Harrison revealed that he sent a text to Doncic and left him a voicemail.

“My guess is he probably doesn’t want to talk to me,” he said.

The news of the trade reached James while he was out to dinner with his family after Saturday’s win over the Knicks. He was shocked by the news, and neither Davis nor Doncic were informed ahead of time either.

James has no intention of leaving the Lakers before Thursday’s trade deadline.

Davis agreed to waive his $5.9 million trade kicker in the deal. This move was made to provide the Mavericks salary cap flexibility, allowing them to stay competitive, while also acknowledging that he can make the money back through potential contract extensions with Dallas down the line.

Davis is under contract until 2028, with a player option for the 2027-28 season, but he’s eligible for an extension after next year. The Lakers were not going to extend him.

Dallas was driven to trade Doncic due to ongoing concerns about his conditioning. The organization had been frustrated with his lack of discipline when it came to his diet and conditioning, which they believed played a significant role in his recurring injuries.

Doncic’s weight reached the high 260s early this season. He missed five games in late November, with the Mavericks listing him with a sprained right wrist, but it also served as a break for him to work on his conditioning.

Doncic has only played 22 games this season due to multiple injuries. He has suffered two left calf strains since arriving in Dallas before training camp in late September, with the Mavericks only listing the recent injury as a calf contusion.

Since re-injuring his calf on Christmas Day, Doncic has been out hopes to return before the All-Star break later this month. Meanwhile, Davis has missed the Lakers’ past two games due to an abdominal muscle strain.

“We really feel like we got ahead of what was going to be a tumultuous summer, him being eligible for the supermax and also a year away from him being able to opt out of any contract,” Harrison said. “And so we really felt like we got out in front of that. We know teams, they’ve had it out there, teams have been loading up to try to sign him once that comes available.”

Doncic finished third in MVP voting last season, posting averages of 33.9 points, 9.8 assists, and 9.2 rebounds per game. He will turn 26 later this month.

Davis, who was selected as an All-Star for the 10th time in his career, will turn 32 next month. He was also named to the NBA’s 75th anniversary team and contributed significantly to the Lakers’ 2020 NBA title in the bubble.

“We are overwhelmingly thankful for AD’s six seasons with the Lakers, where he led our franchise to a championship and cemented himself as a perennial NBA All-Star,” Pelinka said. “We are proud of Max Christie’s development as a Laker as he has grown into an impact 3-and-D player and we are appreciative of the work Jalen Hood-Schifino has put in to show professionalism at every level.”

Doncic has an average of 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.