Lakers trade Anthony Davis to Mavericks for Luka Doncic in blockbuster deal

NEW YORK — Just one hour after picking up one of their biggest wins of the season, the Lakers made a far bigger move off the court with one of the most shocking trades in NBA history.

The Lakers are acquiring five-time All-Star Luka Dončić in a trade that sends 10-time All-Star big man Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to the Southern California News Group late Saturday night.

The Lakers are receiving Dončić, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris, while the Mavericks get Davis, Max Christie and the Lakers’ 2029 first-round draft pick. The Utah Jazz acquired Jalen Hood-Schifino, the Clippers’ 2025 second-round pick and the Mavericks’ 2025 second-round pick.

ESPN’s Shams Charania was the first to report the trade, just an hour after the Lakers beat the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Davis was not with the Lakers for the game; he has been back in Los Angeles because of a strained abdominal muscle that needed assessing, missing the Lakers’ last two games because of the injury.

Dončić has not played for Dallas since Christmas Day, when he was sidelined with a strained left calf.

The blockbuster deal, at least for now, would pair Dončić with LeBron James as the new 1-2 punch for the Lakers, while Davis will form a new star duo with Kyrie Irving in Dallas. And it also reunites Dončić with his former teammate, first-year Lakers head coach JJ Redick.

Looking toward their future, the Lakers can build around one of the league’s brightest young stars in Dončić, the 2018-19 Rookie of the Year who has made the All-NBA first team in five of his six full seasons in the league.

The deal was made in total alignment between the Lakers’ front office, led by General Manager Rob Pelinka, and the coaching staff.

Dallas plays at Cleveland on Sunday, while the Lakers are off until visiting the Clippers on Tuesday night in Inglewood. It’s not clear when Dončić or Davis could play for their new clubs: the trade needs NBA approval, and both are dealing with injuries without any publicly known firm timetable for their returns.

Among players with at least 400 games, Dončić’s 28.6-point average is third in NBA history behind only Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain – both at 30.1. When healthy, he’s typically somewhere between dynamic and unstoppable.

He was third in the MVP voting last season after averaging 33.9 points, 9.8 assists and 9.2 rebounds per game, easily one of the greatest statistical seasons in league history. Dončić – who turns 26 later this month and has referred to James as an “idol” – had a 73-point game against Atlanta on Jan. 26, 2024, tying the fourth-highest scoring total ever in an NBA game. Only Chamberlain (100), Laker great Kobe Bryant (81) and Chamberlain (78) scored more.

Davis, who turns 32 next month, was a member of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team, helped the Lakers win the NBA title in the bubble in 2020, and – like Dončić – is a five-time All-NBA selection. Davis will also be reunited with Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd, who was a Lakers assistant coach under Frank Vogel when the franchise won the 2020 NBA championship before taking over Dallas’ coaching reigns in 2021.

“I believe that defense wins championships,” Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon on Saturday, explaining the rationale for trading Dončić 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.”

There could be a massive – $115 million – cost to this trade for Dončić . He could have signed a supermax contract this coming summer, one that could have paid him about $345 million over five seasons. He’s still extension-eligible, but likely cannot sign a five-year deal worth more than $230 million this summer now.

Much more to come on this story.