While Kentucky fans were trying to come to terms with losing to John Calipari late last night, news of a blockbuster three-team trade rocked the entire landscape of the NBA.
The Los Angeles Lakers traded former Kentucky star Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks for five-time NBA First-Team player Luka Doncic.
The Mavericks got Davis, guard Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick in the deal. The Lakers ended up with Doncic and forwards Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris. The Utah Jazz came out of the deal with Jalen Hood-Schifino, a 2025 second-round pick (via LA Clippers) and a 2025 second-round pick (via Dallas).
Davis is averaging 25.7 points and 11.9 rebounds per game this season.
Doncic is averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game. He hasn’t played since Christmas Day after suffering an injury in the game against Minnesota. New reports suggest that Doncic will return to action soon.
ESPN reports that the Mavericks had become extremely frustrated with Doncic:
Apparently LeBron James didn’t even know the deal was happening:
LeBron James learned of the Davis-Doncic trade after the Knicks game when it broke while he was out to dinner with his family, sources close to James told ESPN. James was surprised by the news, is processing it and had no idea it was in the works, sources said.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 2, 2025
