Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis Trade: What’s next for Lakers, Mavericks, NBA?

When news of the Dallas Mavericks trading Luka Doncic in a blockbuster three-team trade to the Los Angeles Lakers involving Anthony Davis broke, many across the league questioned if Shams Charania’s social media account was hacked, given the shock value and seismic ramifications.

Following the blockbuster trade that rocked the NBA, HoopsHype has gathered intel on what the trade means for Doncic and Davis, why it happened, and what’s next for the Mavericks, Lakers, and Jazz.

What does the trade mean for Luka Doncic?

Doncic was notified he was traded to the Lakers before it was reported in the media and was shocked, HoopsHype has learned.

The same shockwave was felt throughout the league after the 25-year-old franchise superstar was traded less than eight months after leading the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals while in the prime of his career.

When polling NBA executives for which player they’d start a franchise with, the two most common names have been Victor Wembanyama and Doncic. Yet, Dallas no longer felt similarly about Doncic – a perennial MVP candidate and five-time All-NBA First Team member – as their franchise building block.

Doncic was expected to become the league’s highest-paid player and receive a five-year $345 million contract extension this summer.

Doncic was “comfortable” in Dallas, as one league source close to the superstar told HoopsHype.

However, after being traded, he’s no longer supermax eligible with the Lakers.

Doncic is currently owed $43 million this season, $46 million for the 2025-26 season, and has a player option worth nearly $49 million for the 2026-27 season.

Now, Doncic heads to the Lakers, where he’ll reunite with former Mavericks teammate and close friend Dorian Finney-Smith and former assistant coach Greg St. Jean, who was also in Dallas.

Doncic will team with one of his idols, LeBron James, who can help improve his physique as evidenced by his play 40, and take the torch from James as the newest Lakers franchise icon and potentially become one of the faces, if not the face, of the NBA while in the Los Angeles market.

What does the trade mean for Anthony Davis?

Davis implored the Lakers to acquire a center to pair alongside him during an ESPN interview. Davis got his wish to play alongside not one but two starting-caliber centers but joined Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively in the frontcourt for the Dallas Mavericks.

Davis – a three-time blocks champion and five-time All-Defensive Team member – has always preferred playing power forward and will form an intimidating defensive frontcourt with Lively and Gafford, who can block and alter shots at the rim, rebound, and switch defensively to stay with guards on the perimeter.

Despite struggling with injuries at times during his career, Davis has been healthy from the start of the 2023-24 season before recently suffering an abdominal muscle strain.

The nine-time All-Star now reunites with Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, an assistant coach, and Jared Dudley, a former teammate, when they all won the 2020 NBA championship with the Lakers. Davis also has a close relationship with Mavericks executive Nico Harrison, dating back to Harrison’s days with Nike.

Davis is owed $229.85 million through the 2027-28 season, which includes a player option.

Why did the Mavericks trade Doncic, and what’s next?

Despite many executives around the league who’d take Doncic or Wembanyama if they were building a franchise from scratch, Mavericks management was fearful of paying Doncic a five-year, $345 million supermax extension due to his defensive struggles and conditioning.

“Luka has defensive and overall effort issues, but he’s too special not to try and build with, especially at 25,” an NBA executive told HoopsHype.

Instead, Harrison identified Davis’ defensive attributes as better able to help Dallas win now and in the short-term future.

The addition of Max Christie is also noteworthy, given the Mavericks and Quentin Grimes were apart during extension talks before the season, league sources told HoopsHype.

Since then, Grimes has become a key 3-and-D player for Dallas, averaging 10.2 points on an efficient 46.3 percent from the field and 39.8 percent from beyond the arc in 22.8 minutes. The 24-year-old guard will become eligible for restricted free agency this summer.

Christie, a career 37.3 percent shooter from downtown who turns 22 years old on February 10th, is signed for $32 million through the 2027-28 season, which includes a player option.

The 2029 first-round pick acquired from the Lakers is considered a valuable trade asset for Dallas and was highly coveted by teams around the league during previous trade talks with Los Angeles.

Thus, NBA executives around the league believe the Mavericks aren’t done trading ahead of the deadline and expect Dallas to remain active in the coming days.

Lastly, Dallas previously discussed Maxi Kleber in exploratory trade talks with the Indiana Pacers for forward Obi Toppin before including him in the Doncic trade, league sources told HoopsHype.

What’s next for the Lakers?

The Lakers acquired the franchise’s cornerstone for the next decade in Doncic and retained their coveted 2031 first-round pick to dangle in trade talks.

“I like the trade for the Lakers’ future the most,” an NBA executive told HoopsHype. “This will help them attract other pieces in the post-LeBron era.”

Several NBA executives who spoke with HoopsHype following the reported Doncic for Davis blockbuster trade began questioning if LeBron James, who has a $52.63 million player option for next season, could be traded. However, all indications are James wants to finish his career with the Lakers. James also spoke highly of Doncic while previously podcasting with coach JJ Redick, Doncic’s former Mavericks teammate.

The acquisition of Doncic is also noteworthy for Finney-Smith, his close friend and 3-and-D forward. With Finney-Smith expected to decline his $15.38 million player option for next season and become an unrestricted free agent this summer, as previously reported by HoopsHype, it’s safe to say Doncic will advocate for the Lakers to retain Finney-Smith.

Regarding potential future trade talks, it’s worth noting Kleber is owed a combined $22 million through the 2025-26 season. If Kleber remains with the Lakers through the deadline, he’ll become a more valuable trade asset when he becomes an expiring $11 million contract.

With Davis gone, Los Angeles is also in need of more help at center, which the team will look to upgrade on the trade market.

What’s next for the Jazz?

The Utah Jazz quietly added two 2025 second-round picks as part of the blockbuster trade and can take a look at former 2023 first-round pick Jalen Hood-Schifino in the process.

After participating in two trades in one day, Utah is expected to remain active ahead of the trade deadline.

Utah hopes to flip newly acquired PJ Tucker for another team’s salary dump to land more future draft pick capital, league sources told HoopsHype. If Utah is unable to flip Tucker in another trade, he’s expected to be bought out, sources said.

Jazz veterans John Collins, Jordan Clarkson, and Collin Sexton have all come up in trade discussions, with Collins heavily linked to the Sacramento Kings before De’Aaron Fox became available. Center Walker Kessler has also drawn interest on the trade market, but Utah has rebuffed teams to this point, leaving executives around the league to believe Kessler’s asking price will be too high to pry him ahead of the deadline.

What NBA executives are saying

The overwhelming reaction from NBA executives who spoke with HoopsHype following the blockbuster trade involving Doncic and Davis was shock and befuddlement regarding certain aspects.

Executives around the league were surprised the Mavericks didn’t canvas the league and create a bidding war for Doncic.

Teams such as the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Brooklyn Nets, Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, and others have significant draft capital in future years and players who can help win games now but weren’t consulted for potential trade packages.

That said, some executives accepted Dallas’ preference was clearly Davis and identified him as the top trade target. However, they questioned why the Mavericks didn’t push to acquire the 2029 and 2031 first-round picks from the Lakers instead of only one.

From a basketball perspective, some executives believe that Doncic and James are supremely talented but are not an ideal fit on the court since both dominate the ball. The executives also acknowledged the Doncic acquisition was done primarily to give the Lakers a franchise superstar to build around for the next decade following James' retirement.

A couple of executives believed while the trade was shocking, there had to be more to it behind the scenes because Dallas has the best intel on Doncic internally compared to outside teams.

However, many executives believe Dallas will regret trading Doncic.

“I don’t think this will end well for the Mavs and their front office,” another NBA executive told HoopsHype. “Davis is 31 and is usually injured. He’s an All-Star talent, but Luka will continue to be an MVP-caliber player. The return Dallas received was minimal. They could have received a much better package. Luka carried them to the Finals last year, and they are fighting for the playoffs without him.”

You can follow Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis Trade: What’s next for Lakers, Mavericks, NBA?