Luka Dončić notches 14 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in his Lakers debut as L.A. dominates Utah, 132-113.
• 2024-25 Trade Tracker: Every official deal
Everything about Luka Dončić’s first game with the Lakers should be kept in this context — they played the 12-win Utah Jazz.
Still, it was Luka and the Lakers. That alone was worth the price of admission (and delayed sleep for those on the East Coast) alone. The much-anticipated debut became appointment viewing Monday across the league because it signaled a new direction for the storied franchise, which has a habit of acquiring generational players.
Dončić was a shocking addition, though, much more than anyone in Lakerland since Shaquille O’Neal signed with the team as a free agent nearly 30 years ago. The midseason trade with the Dallas Mavericks, which cost Anthony Davis, was as celebrated in L.A. as it was reviled in Dallas.
What’s done is done, and now the Lakers move forward with a 25-year-old playmaker whose most immediate chore is reducing that responsibility from a 40-year-old playmaker named LeBron James.
Coming off injury, and afforded a blowout win over the Jazz, Dončić played just 23 minutes, scored 14 points (though his jumper was rusty, missing six of seven from deep) and four assists.
Here are five takeaways from Luka’s first taste of the Lakers:
1. L.A. comes up 7s
When something big happens in L.A., the city rolls out the red carpet, be it for a big-time actor at a Hollywood premiere or a Slovenian point guard. This trade simply recharged the Lakers.
Gatorade showed a commercial of the Hollywood sign with the two Ls strategically turned upside down to reflect 77, Dončić’s number (he signed with the company last year).
A sellout crowd arrived at Crypto.com Arena to be handed a gift draped over every seat — Luka Laker giveaway shirts.
Come to think of it, did Dallas throw anything for Davis last weekend?
2. LeBron takes a back seat, sort of
LeBron is going out of his way to make it a comfy transition for Dončić. He shouted in the tipoff huddle for Dončić to fit out, instead of fitting in — a plea for Dončić to be himself and not constantly yield to the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
And Dončić was introduced last by the PA announcer. The last time that happened for LeBron was when he was in Miami as Dwyane Wade had the honors then. James evidently believes a comfortable Dončić will make for a great Dončić — maybe enough to get the Lakers to the playoffs.
3. Luka to LeBron was/will be a work of art
One pass explained it all, explained how this is going to go — Dončić snatched a rebound and after one bounce threw court-length to LeBron for the bucket. Usually for LeBron, he’s the one throwing those dimes.
But being blessed with a gifted passer who sees the floor will encourage LeBron to head downcourt quicker and also free himself in the halfcourt for a back-door cut, knowing that Dončić will — more often than not — find him.
There’s also Austin Reaves, who gives the Lakers a trio of creators. The role players on this team will be elevated in the process. All they need to do is catch the pass and convert.
Luka Dončić fires it to LeBron James on the break.
4. Oh, yeah, the Lakers are hot
Lost in the Lukapalooza was this: the Lakers are rising in the West. They won their sixth straight game and are suddenly within range of fourth (and even third) place in the West.
But again, perspective: L.A. is enjoying the light part of the schedule. There’s another game upcoming with the Jazz before taking the All-Star break. Which is to say the break is happening at the wrong time. Will the momentum remain next week when the stretch run of the season begins?
5. Meanwhile, in Dallas
The fallout continues in Dallas where Davis, who aggravated an abdominal injury in his Mavericks’ debut, isn’t expected to return to the floor anytime soon. There’s no timetable, but he was a scratch for the All-Star Game, meaning he won’t play until after the break, which means he could miss most or even the rest of February.
That’s a tough sell on Mavericks fans who were understandably miffed by the trade and are now discouraged by Davis’ latest injury suffered at the absolute wrong time.
The Mavericks not only lost in overtime to the Kings on Monday, but they lost Daniel Gafford to injury, too. Dallas now finds itself on the SoFi Play-In Tournament edge. If the Mavs (who went to the 2024 NBA Finals with Dončić leading the way) fail to make the playoffs with Davis, the disenchantment over this franchise could reach Cowboys level.
“We’re going to be a force to be reckoned with,” countered Kyrie Irving after the game. “We’ve just got to get whole again.”
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Warner Bros. Discovery.
Page 2
Luka Dončić is officially a Laker, while Anthony Davis is headed to the Mavericks in 1 of the most stunning trades in NBA history.
• 2024-25 Trade Tracker: Every official deal
Disbelief turned to shock, shock turned back to disbelief. After a basketball world spent the late night Saturday and wee Sunday morning hours asking itself this question — Is this a hoax? — reality checked in and said Luka Dončić is indeed a Laker and Anthony Davis is indeed a Maverick.
This massive and unexpected and, quite frankly, head-scratching trade between Los Angeles and Dallas instantly remakes a pair of teams and sends a pair of Kia MVP contenders to different addresses. This much is true. Whether it pushes the Mavericks and/or Lakers another step in the right direction, either now or for as long as those players are in those uniforms, is questionable.
The Mavericks surrendered Luka in his prime, which seems unfathomable. They weren’t thrilled with something — his conditioning, defense, perhaps too high maintenance?
The Lakers handed over Davis, who fit with LeBron James and was part of the solution, not the problem, in L.A. Did they tire of his injury history or simply choose the younger star when given the rare chance?
Yes, it really happened. Welcome to Los Angeles, Luka. pic.twitter.com/XdlZZ5IfNo
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 2, 2025
Welcome to Dallas, @AntDavis23!@chime // #MFFL pic.twitter.com/uKfGRv9R6U
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) February 2, 2025
We attempt to sort it out with these five takeaways from the blockbuster swap that also involved a first-round pick and fringe players:
1. Why this makes sense for both teams
Dallas adds one of the game’s very best two-way players, someone who impacts outcomes at both rims. Davis doesn’t need to score to deliver victories — his rebounding and rim protection are elite. Plus, Kyrie Irving will assume Luka’s ball-handling duties. The starting five for Dallas is among the best in basketball, especially inside the paint. The Mavs have beaten West leader OKC three times this year; now just added Davis.
The Lakers add another creator next to LeBron James, giving them a pair of players who make teammates better. Luka also improves their outside shooting and will be warmly received both inside and outside the locker room; an ovation awaits at Crypto.
2. Why this makes no sense for either team
Why trade Luka without letting the other 28 teams know? Why not hold an auction and get the very best combination of picks and players? Also, Davis is six years older with an injury history. And the Mavs already had bigs; now they have a surplus, barring another trade.
The Lakers were poor defensively before the trade; now they lost their only credible defender. And defense is by far the weakest part of Luka’s game. Plus: L.A. is now starving for not one, but two big men. There must be another deal made before Thursday’s deadline.
3. Lakers keep their ‘star streak’ going
When the franchise was based in Minneapolis, the Lakers had Elgin Baylor, then drafted Jerry West months before moving. From that point on, except for very short stretches, the Lakers made a point of getting and keeping generational talents.
That’s over 60 years … and counting, because Luka is just 25. That’s unmatched in the NBA, perhaps all professional team sports.
When Baylor retired, the Lakers had already landed Wilt Chamberlain. When Chamberlain and West, the Lakers swung a deal for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. When the 1979 Draft arrived, owner Jerry Buss over-ruled West, then his GM, and drafted Magic Johnson because Buss sensed star potential for a team that attracted celebrities.
After Magic came Shaquille O’Neal, and West, sensing a star, swung a draft-day deal for a teenaged Kobe Bryant. After Kobe came LeBron, and his predecessor is already in-house now.
Luka seems “that guy” if only because of his age, All-NBA and MVP-caliber talent, ability to carry a team to the Finals and this is important — box office presence. That goes over well in a status town like LA — and with media partners who just spent billions and crave the Lakers for prime time slots.
4. It’s the biggest trade of this generation
To be fair, the seismic shock and enormity of this trade are mainly due to the times in which we live — social media, short attention spans, no concept of history.
Like, is this really bigger than Chamberlain getting traded from the San Francisco Warriors to the 76ers in his prime? What about Abdul-Jabbar, with an MVP and title already under his belt, getting moved from Milwaukee to L.A.? Or Julius Erving from the Nets to Sixers?
So we’ll just stick with this generation and compare it to:
• Wolves send Kevin Garnett to the Celtics. Combined with Ray Allen arriving from Seattle, Boston formed a big three with Paul Pierce and won a championship in 2008.
• Nuggets deal Carmelo Anthony to Knicks. Melo was a certified scorer just touching his prime, and he went to the league’s biggest market.
• Lakers trade Shaq to the Heat. Shaq was still a massive presence, though not for much longer, and he did help Miami win its first title.
All of the above are Hall of Fame-types who also sold tickets, much like Luka. But here’s the difference: Dončić was traded for Davis, an MVP candidate when healthy. It’s the first time two All-NBA players have been swapped for each other in the middle of the season, per the Elias Sports Bureau.
5. What about LeBron?
It appears LeBron James was just as shocked as everybody else when news of the blockbuster broke while he was at dinner.
He’s the 40-year-old elephant in the room, a player still delivering solid results almost nightly, yet who’s on the clock. Does this trade help or hurt his chances at one more championship? And does he want to spend the rest of his career — which might be just one more year — with the Lakers?
LeBron wasn’t even given a heads-up about the trade, according to reports, which is shocking in itself if only because he and Davis are represented by the same agency. This means, if true, LeBron didn’t sign off or disprove the trade. He had no input.
Also: The Lakers now have two ball-dominant stars. We’ve seen this happen before on other teams with mixed results. What about here?
This is much evident — the Lakers are putting their franchise in the hands of another player. As they should. That’s the long-term goal. As for the short-term, they’ll need a sit-down with LeBron because a team that’s even weaker defensively and lacking a quality rebounder won’t scare many of this season’s contenders.
It’s all in LeBron’s hands. Does he sit tight and see what happens next in L.A.? Or are there better situations for him at this stage in his career?
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Warner Bros. Discovery.
