Doncic heads to Lakers, Davis to Mavs in wild blockbuster trade

The trade was put together in secret, with only a precious few people knowing what was happening. Luka Doncic didn't know. Anthony Davis didn't know. Their coaches didn't know. Their teammates didn't know.

And then it happened -- an absolute blockbuster. Doncic led the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals last season, Davis won a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020 and now they're switching teams in a move that stunned most everyone in the league.

"I thought I'd spend my career here, and I wanted so badly to bring you a championship," Doncic said in a written farewell message to Mavs fans. "The love and support you all have given me is more than I could have ever dreamed of."

Doncic was traded by the reigning Western Conference champions Mavericks to the Lakers for Davis as part of a three-team deal. The trade was announced yesterday morning after the teams got the required league approval.

The trade talks, which took place over about a month, were kept extremely tight-lipped by Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison and Lakers GM Rob Pelinka.

Mavs coach Jason Kidd's first reaction? "Shock," Kidd said, though he later added that he believes it's the right move for his team going forward.

Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris also headed to the Lakers, while Max Christie went to Dallas. The Utah Jazz also were involved, getting Jalen Hood-Schifino and a 2025 second-rounder from both the Mavs and Lakers.

"Sports are about transformative moments," Pelinka said. "We are inspired by these moments Lakers fans know, expect and love with a franchise that continually ushers in new eras of greatness. ... Luka is a one-of-a-kind, young global superstar who will lead this franchise for years to come. His killer instincts and commitment to winning championships will be a driving force for the team."

The trade news broke shortly after the Lakers beat the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Davis was not with the Lakers for the game; he has been in Los Angeles because of an abdominal injury that needed assessing.

Doncic has not played for Dallas since Christmas, when he exited a game with a strained left calf. The trade may come at a serious price for Doncic, who now can't sign a five-year supermax contract extension this summer that could have been worth around $345 million.

"Luka absolutely did not deserve this. ... He really respected Dallas," Sasa Doncic, Luka's father, said on Slovenian television yesterday.

The deal pairs Doncic with LeBron James as the new 1-2 punch in Los Angeles, while Davis would be forming a new star duo with Kyrie Irving in Dallas. And it reunites Doncic with his former teammate, Lakers coach JJ Redick.

There was one game still going on in the NBA late Saturday night as the trade began emerging, that being Phoenix-Portland. Suns guard Devin Booker said someone in the stands told him and his teammates of the trade.

"They said Luka. I said, 'Luka Garza?'" Booker said, referencing a Minnesota centre.

Booker wasn't trying to be funny. He just thought what many probably thought -- that there was no way the Mavs would move Doncic.

"It's crazy, man. I really don't know what to say about it," Booker said. "Luka being a guy that everybody has claimed is untouchable and untradeable. The NBA shows you again. Can't predict. It's a business. They're always having a conversation about you. So don't think you're safer than you are."

- AP