The Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks shocked the NBA world late Saturday night. ESPN’s Shams Charania posted on X a trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers, with Anthony Davis being a part of the package coming back. The internet immediately wondered if the NBA insider had been hacked. Within 15 minutes, the story was confirmed as true. Los Angeles will be acquiring the All-NBA guard and perennial MVP candidate. Here are three questions for the Lakers after this trade.
1. When Can Luka Doncic Play For The Los Angeles Lakers?
Luka Doncic hasn’t seen the floor since Christmas Day. He only played for 16 minutes before leaving the game with a calf injury. The team has been cautious but has indicated he is getting close to a return. Ahead of their game against the Pistons a few days ago, reports indicated the team hoped he would play again before the All-Star break. This means he should be on the court soon for the Los Angeles Lakers, ready to help them make a playoff push.
There are two reasons to be optimistic about Doncic’s health. The Lakers would not have made the trade if they didn’t think he was healthy. They are in win-now mode, with LeBron James entering the final years of his storied career. They would love to get another ring with James and are clearly committed to doing so. The other is the optimism from Dallas just a few days ago. He is close to returning and will be a factor in the Western Conference playoff race.
2. What Does This Do To The Title Chances?
The Los Angeles Lakers are currently in fifth place in the Western Conference. While it seems unlikely they will catch the Oklahoma City Thunder for the one-seed, the other teams are within striking distance. They are one game back from the Denver Nuggets and 3.5 games back from the Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies. With Luka, the team could make a push and be one of the top four seeds heading into the playoffs.
On ESPN Bet, the title chances went from +3300 to +1800 when the trade was confirmed. This indicates the Lakers were a huge long shot to win the NBA Finals in 2025. Now, they are still a long shot but more in the realm of possibility. The Western Conference is tough and has the best team in the NBA right now, the Thunder. The Rockets and Grizzlies are young and athletic. Denver has Nikola Jokic, who might win his fourth MVP. Then you also have to worry about Dallas! It’s still a tough road, and the trade doesn’t fix everything.
3. What Happens To The Defense?
The Los Angeles Lakers currently have a defensive rating of 114.9. This is 20th in the league, and that was with Anthony Davis. Doncic isn’t exactly a lockdown defender, and the team just got rid of their best defender. There’s merit behind the “overwhelm them with offense” strategy, but we haven’t seen that work when it matters most. We’ve seen many offensive juggernauts stumble in the playoffs when teams have time to prepare.
JJ Redick will have his work cut out for him. The scheme will have to change, and the effort of the entire roster will as well. It also doesn’t matter as much for this season. The trade makes sense for the long term. The Los Angeles Lakers get a 25-year-old All-NBA guard who can be the face of the franchise for the next decade. While James is on a timeline, the franchise itself is not. This season might be interesting defensively, but that will be a focus in future offseasons.
Final Thoughts
It’s hard to shock the world these days. With insiders, social media, and cameras everywhere, most fans know things are coming. This was not the case for this trade. No one saw the Los Angeles Lakers pulling this off. We now get to see LeBron and Luka on the court at the same time, which is a treat for NBA fans. While the NBA season was already intriguing, this ratchets it up three more clicks. Can the Lakers capture another title now that Luka is in the fold?
