LOS ANGELES (news agencies) — Luka Doncic is facing the Dallas Mavericks 23 days after they shocked the NBA by sending him to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Mavericks visit the Lakers on Tuesday night for the teams’ first meeting after the most surprising sports trade in years. The Lakers gave up Anthony Davis and Max Christie in the deal to acquire Doncic, last season’s scoring champion and a five-time All-NBA selection.
Doncic was widely assumed to be untouchable as one of the league’s best players at just 25 years old — and particularly after carrying the Mavs to the NBA Finals last season. Dallas general manager Nico Harrison disagreed, and the Lakers eagerly gave up a championship-winning big man to acquire a younger foundational talent for the next decade and beyond.
Doncic declined to speak about the matchup after practice Monday, but his new teammates and coaches expect the Slovenian superstar to handle it gracefully.
“I think he’s going to be excited, but everybody in the locker room is excited,” said Lakers forward Dorian Finney-Smith, Doncic’s former teammate in Dallas. “We’ve got his back. It’s going to be a hard-fought game. I know (Mavs coach Jason) Kidd is going to have them ready to come in here and compete, so we’ve just got to match their intensity.”
The game at the Lakers’ downtown arena won’t feature both main players in the big trade. Davis, the 10-time All-Star big man who teamed up with LeBron James to lead the Lakers to the 2020 championship, is out at least two more weeks with a groin injury sustained in his Mavs debut.
Davis is traveling with the Mavericks, however, so he is likely to feel plenty of love from Lakers fans who adored his two-way game. So is Christie, a second-round pick who grew into a starter this season for Los Angeles.
Doncic was stunned and hurt by the trade, and the upheaval was compounded by the fact he was still recovering from a strained left calf that sidelined him for 6 1/2 weeks. He has returned to the court gradually with his new team, but Doncic already is finding his stride alongside James in the Lakers’ new starting lineup.
After struggling with his shot at times during his first three games with the Lakers, Doncic found his form last Saturday night while leading Los Angeles to a surprising blowout win in Denver. Doncic had 32 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and four steals in a superb performance against an opponent that easily had handled the Lakers for years.
“I knew it was going to come,” Finney-Smith said. “Luka, I shoot with him all the time, so I knew there was nothing wrong with his shot. He just hadn’t played for a while. He ain’t played since Christmas, and guys want him to come back and be 30, 10 and 10, but it takes time for him. I’m just happy he’s finding his rhythm.”
The next trade reunion should be even crazier: The Lakers visit Dallas on April 9, and Mavs fans have been vocal in their displeasure with Harrison and the Dallas ownership group.
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