Luka Doncic headed to the Lakers, Anthony Davis to the Mavericks

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Luka Doncic led Dallas to the NBA Finals last season. Anthony Davis won a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers.

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They’re switching teams now — in an absolute blockbuster.

Doncic is being traded by the reigning Western Conference champion Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers for Davis, a person with knowledge of the agreement said early Sunday.

Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris are headed to the Lakers, while Davis and Max Christie are going to Dallas, said the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither team can announce the deal while it awaits league approval.

The Utah Jazz also are involved in the deal, said the source. ESPN, which first reported the trade, said Jalen Hood-Schifino and two draft picks will be headed to the Jazz. The Dallas Morning News also reported those details on the trade.

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The trade news broke about an hour after the Lakers beat New York at Madison Square Garden. Davis was not with the Lakers for the game; he has been back in Los Angeles because of an abdominal injury that needed assessing.

Doncic has not played for Dallas since Christmas Day, when he was sidelined with a strained left calf.

“I believe that defence wins championships,” Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison told ESPN. “I believe that getting an All-Defensive center and an All-NBA player with a defensive mindset gives us a better chance. We’re built to win now and in the future.”

The deal, at least for now, would pair Doncic with LeBron James as the new 1-2 punch in Los Angeles, while Davis would be forming a new star duo with Kyrie Irving in Dallas.

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According to ESPN, the Mavericks were motivated to move Doncic due to his constant conditioning concerns. There had been significant frustration within the organization about Doncic’s lack of discipline regarding his diet and conditioning, which team sources considered a major factor in his injury issues.

And there was immediate shock on social media when the news hit.

“Luka getting traded from Dallas has to have a deeper story behind it,” Cleveland centre Tristan Thompson wrote on X. “This just doesn’t happen on a random Saturday night.”

Knicks guard Jalen Brunson wondered in another post if it was a joke: “April fools right?” he asked.

Evidently not.

Dallas plays at Cleveland on Sunday, while the Lakers are off until visiting the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night. It’s not clear when Doncic or Davis could play for their new clubs: the trade needs NBA approval, and both are dealing with injuries without any publicly known firm timetable for their returns.

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