Say it aloud as you read the following and convince yourself it doesn’t feel odd: Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic. Get used to the discomfort; it might take a while for the pairing of the NBA’s most prominent franchise and the talented guard to mesh.
To start, no trade in recent memory shocked fans and media alike quite as profoundly as the Lakers shipping big man Anthony Davis to Dallas for the five-time All-NBA honoree Doncic. Murmurings of at least one side wanting a fresh start preceded such monumental moves as the Phoenix Suns acquiring Kevin Durant from Brooklyn in 2023 or the Mavericks pairing Doncic with Kyrie Irving two years ago.
But Doncic? To the Lakers? It came as abruptly as one of Luka’s patented no-look passes.
Doncic and Dallas looked, on the outside, like one of those increasingly rare NBA marriages destined to go the distance. Almost immediately after winning Rookie of the Year in 2018-19, Doncic had ingratiated himself to Mavericks faithful with his exciting brand of offense—a style that one could describe as melding elements of former Dallas greats Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki in a frame that belied the guard’s talent.
Wearing Stetsons to games, showing up rivals like Phoenix’s Devin Booker while flashing a boyish smile, guiding the Mavericks deep into the NBA playoffs: The Dallas metroplex hadn’t seen a young sensation gain such instant cult-like dedication since the Von Erichs were selling out the Sportatorium on a weekly basis.
What’s more, Doncic did so with a presence that seemed comparable to the aforementioned beloved Maverick Nowitzki. While European influence on the NBA exploded before Nowitzki debuted in 1998, no organization had ever built around a Euro import on the way to a championship before the German forward willed the Mavericks there in 2011.
Los Angeles, meanwhile, is a city where star power isn’t just the norm but mandatory. In a star-driven league, no franchise has relied more on big personalities with big games. From Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson to Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, the Lakers’ peaks have always coincided with true superstars guiding the ship.
The tradition continues today with LeBron James. In the same way the Lakers were Magic’s team in the ‘80s and Kobe’s team for most of the 2000s, the Lakers of the 2020s are LeBron’s—even if James has arguably not been the Lakers’ best player in 2024-25.
That distinction belongs to Davis, which only made the trade that much more stunning. At 25.7 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game, Davis was having one of the best seasons of his career—certainly his best since 2019-20 when, not coincidentally, he helped the Lakers win their last championship.
Davis going for 26 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks in his Feb. 8 debut as a Maverick, then roaring to the approving applause of the crowd, made for a stark contrast with Doncic’s first two games as a Laker.
Games of 14 and 16 points with four assists in each of his first two games with Los Angeles were well off the 28.6 and 8.2 Doncic averages for his career. Committing five turnovers in one of those games is the most troubling of Doncic’s initial Lakers stats, particularly in the context of dropping a decision to the lowly Utah Jazz.
With the gap between hosting a first-round Western Conference playoff series and appearing in the play-in separated by only 3 1/2 games as of Valentine’s Day, the Lakers have little time to endure growing pains if they are to contend for a title in 2025 with Doncic and James.
But the ultimate motivation, and possible hidden genius of the shocking Doncic trade is that it may not be a move made with 2025 in mind.
James is averaging a still outstanding 24.3 points, nine assists and 7.7 rebounds per game in 2024-25. His stat line also highlights what makes Doncic an odd fit, as the two superstars play similar styles, both predicated on dominating the ball.
But when James debuted in the NBA in 2003, Doncic was throwing behind-the-back passes to preschoolers in Slovenia. The Lakers’ time as James’ team is approaching an end, and Los Angeles needs the next star who can fill that role—a role that has always been a requisite for their 12 championships since moving from Minnesota.
It’s a role Doncic needs to grow into. Rumors surfacing after his trade that Dallas brass were unhappy with his conditioning are the furthest a Laker star can get from the franchise’s beloved icon, Kobe Bryant.
With a game like Magic’s, however, Doncic has the tools to become the next face of the franchise. It’s just going to take some time for all parties to get used to it.
