A one-of-a-kind trade ensued in the NBA in the early hours of Sunday as the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, and Utah Jazz agreed to a three-team deal that will see Anthony Davis and Luka Doncic swap teams.
Los Angeles will reportedly receive Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris from the Mavericks, who are getting Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round draft pick from the Lakers.
The Jazz, meanwhile, will receive Jalen Hood-Schifino, a 2025 second-round pick via the Los Angeles Clippers and the 2025 second-round selection from Dallas.
BREAKING: The Dallas Mavericks are trading Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick, sources tell ESPN. Three-team deal that includes Utah.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 2, 2025
This deal comes as a shocker for most NBA fans, experts, and even players, as it’s the first time in NBA history that two reigning All-NBA players have been traded for each other midseason, as per Elias Sports Bureau.
Doncic has been Dallas’ cornerstone and franchise player and is due for a five-year, $345 million max contract this summer, which is now totally off the table as a result of this trade.
The third overall pick in the 2018 draft, led the league in scoring last season but has been largely unhealthy this season as he continues to recover from a calf strain since late December.
The five-time All-Star last played for Dallas in a Christmas Day loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, scoring 14 points in 16 minutes before his injury. The Slovenian is averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game across 22 games this season.
He departs the Mavericks with career averages of 28.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 8.3 assists, while shooting 47% from the field, having led them to two Western Conference finals and one NBA Finals appearance.
Davis, meanwhile, joined the Lakers in 2019 and was integral to their championship-winning team that season. The former No. 1 pick also helped Los Angeles win the inaugural NBA Cup and was named an All-Star five times with the franchise.
He has missed the Lakers’ last two games due to an abdominal muscle strain and was expected to be reevaluated in a week.
The 31-year-old currently leads the Lakers in points (25.7), rebounds (11.9), steals (1.3), and blocks (2.1), and is enjoying one of the best seasons of his 13-year NBA career.
Davis, however, will meet some familiar faces in the Mavericks dressing room, reuniting with Dallas’ coach Jason Kidd, who was an assistant coach with the Lakers’ 2020 championship team, and assistant coach Jared Dudley, his former Lakers teammate.
The Lakers (28-19) are fifth in the Western Conference standings, while the Mavericks (26-23) are three spots behind in eighth.
