On Sunday morning, the NBA world was turned upside down when two of the league’s biggest superstars were involved in a stunning trade.
Shams Charania of ESPN.com was the first to report that the Lakers were acquiring Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris in a three-team deal that sent Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 Lakers first-round pick to the Mavericks. The Jazz are a facilitator in the deal, landing Jalen Hood-Schifinio and two 2025 second-round picks to complete the swap.
The shocking move comes while Doncic has been sidelined for weeks with a calf injury. It was a complete surprise on the heels of Doncic leading the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals against the Celtics last year.
What does the swap potentially mean to the Celtics’ title defense for this season and beyond? Here are the ramifications for the teams involved.
The Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving pairing was always a bit bizarre on paper but the duo found a way to make it work last season en route to the NBA Finals. However, the bloom was off the rose with Doncic in Dallas. Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com reported the team had concerns about moving forward with Doncic on a supermax extension due to his conditioning issues.
Instead, the team pivots to 31-year-old Anthony Davis, giving Dallas a true big to pair with Irving. Danny Ainge dreamed of joining that duo in Boston six years ago. The problem for Dallas is both players are in their 30s now. The window to contend will likely be much shorter with this duo and the odds of both staying healthy for a playoff run seems remote.
From a Celtics perspective, it’s hard to envision the Mavericks being any scarier now. Doncic was always their biggest nightmare to guard. While he was an easy target defensively, there are plenty of other guys on Dallas (Irving) to attack. At this stage of their careers, it’s hard to see Irving or Davis as a true No. 1 on a title team. With Klay Thompson on the decline as well, the Mavericks look less like a long-term contender in the Western Conference. Doncic could have kept them as a perennial contender but the Mavericks shorten their window with this deal and give the Celtics a lot less to worry about long term.
All eyes will be on the Lakers now and beyond this season. They have one of the greatest players of all time in LeBron James, who just turned 40, now paired with a 25-year-old superstar in Doncic. That duo will garner plenty of attention — especially in Los Angeles.
In the short term, the Lakers lost a huge piece in Davis, who was having another great season. His two-way play has helped make him the best player on the team. Plus, Christie’s recent emergence in a starting role has provided solid production at wing.
The big question is what will the Lakers do at center? Davis had put pressure on them to trade for a center, but instead, they moved him. That means the Lakers are going to need an answer at center, which was already thin before the Davis trade.
From a Celtics perspective, the Lakers get star power with James and Doncic. But losing Davis hurts significantly this season, especially on the defensive end. They’ll now undoubtedly need to get another center in a different deal. The James and Doncic duo should be productive, but Doncic has been an easy target defensively. Plus the Lakers lose wing depth. Los Angeles could reload around Doncic and James in the offseason. At least for this season, it’s going to be tough to replace Davis’ production on both ends of the court.
