The Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks are cooking up something as a follow-up to their seismic Luka Dončić–Anthony Davis trade.
NBA insider Marc Stein reported on Wednesday that the Lakers and the Mavericks are “lining up” to play a preseason game in Las Vegas in October.
It will be just the second meeting between Dončić and Davis, but the third time the two teams are facing off since the most stunning NBA trade in recent memory.
The Lakers have won both meetings with Dončić averaging 32.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, 9.0 assists, 3.5 steals and 1.0 blocks.
On the other hand, Davis had 13 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and a block in his first game against the Lakers since the trade on Dončić’s return to Dallas on April 9. Dončić dropped 45 points to lead the Lakers in the 112-97 win.
Despite Davis’ return from adductor strain, he failed to lead the Mavericks past the Play-in Tournament as his co-star Kyrie Irving had a season-ending ACL injury.
Nico Harrison Stands Firm on Shocking Trade
Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison, who was under fire for trading away the beloved Dončić, stood firm in his belief that the deal made the franchise set up for title contention in the next two to three seasons.
“Well, the beauty of Dallas is it is a passionate fan base,” Harrison said during his end-of-the-season press conference. “For us to reach our goals, we need that fan base. And to be honest with you, every trade I’ve made since I’ve been here has not been regarded as a good trade, and so sometimes it takes time. When I traded for Kyrie, it was met with a lot of skepticism and it was graded as a terrible trade and you didn’t see it right away, but eventually everyone agreed that that was a great trade. When I traded for [Gafford] and [Washington] again, it was like, ‘Oh, he gave up way too much. These guys aren’t going to help us.’ Now that trade, you saw the evidence a lot sooner. So I think a lot of times trades take a little bit of time.
“But our philosophy, like I said, going forward is defense wins championships and we’re built on defense. And this trade cements us for that.”
Lakers to Extend Luka This Summer
Meanwhile, Dončić and the Lakers grabbed the third seed but lost to the No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round 4-1, where his defense or lack thereof, was heavily criticized.
Despite Dončić’s poor form and their early exit, the Lakers are standing firm that the Slovenian star will be the face of the franchise for the next decade.
Two days after the Lakers were eliminated in the postseason, Dončić was spotted leaving Craig’s in West Hollywood with coach JJ Redick and team president Rob Pelinka.
The Lakers are expected to sign Dončić this offseason to a long-term extension. He is “fully committed” to the franchise, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.
“I would be shocked if there’s not some sort of extension this summer, you know, and what that looks like, there’s a lot of factors… with what I know of Luka, and I haven’t talked to him directly about this, but you know, talking to people who know Luka well, I think he wants to give the Lakers, like, he’s fully committed to L.A. now,” MacMahon said on the “Dan Patrick Show” on Monday. “His heart was broken, but he’s fully committed now to the Lakers, and you know, his goal now is to win championships with that franchise.”
Dončić is extension-eligible starting Aug. 2, and as he told ESPN’s Malika Andrews in an interview before the playoffs, his loyalty is now with the Lakers and he intends to stay in Los Angeles.
