According to Marc J. Spears, Luka Doncic is looking to make his debut on February 10th against the Utah Jazz. That would line up with his original return date of February 8th.
Doncic had not played a game since he reinjured his calf on Christmas Day. The game against Utah would take place in Los Angeles.
“I’m hearing he’s targeting next week,” said Spears of Doncic’s debut with the Lakers. “The Lakers play at home against Utah next Monday. And on the road in Utah next Wednesday. A potential return from his calf injury.”
This decision was presumably discussed over dinner with JJ Redick after landing in Los Angeles Sunday night.
“I heard when Luka flew in last night, certainly, there was a lot of disappointment, anger, a lot of emotions. When he got in, he got off the plane and he spoke to Rob Pelinka for a while. That’s when reality started hitting. ‘Yo, I’m a Laker. This is kind of cool. This is great. I’m amongst celebrities. I’m in L.A. There’s a history here.'”
According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, the Los Angeles Lakers grew “frustrated” with LeBron James and Anthony Davis complaining about upgrading the roster.
It grew when the two stars began publicly airing their concerns and frustrations. LeBron always believed they were a move or two away from legit contention, while Davis wanted to go back to playing power forward once they acquired a center.
The organization took it into its hands to solve the complaints by trading Davis to get Luka Doncic.
Los Angeles felt that Davis, who is 31 years old, wasn’t a “1-A” talent and couldn’t be trusted due to his durability and availability issues.
Marc Stein reports that the Dallas Mavericks were only interested in Davis, not LeBron James. Dallas came to Los Angeles with the deal, as general manager Nico Harrison has strong ties to Davis due to their relationship at Nike.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Dallas Mavericks have made the shocking move to trade Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis. This is not a parody, as many thought when the news broke.
ESPN and other news sources have confirmed this, as Dallas initiated and sought out this deal with Los Angeles.
A Summary of the entire trade:
Lakers: Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, Markieff Morris
Mavericks: Anthony Davis, Max Christie, 2029 first-round pick
Jazz: Jalen Hood-Schifino, two second-round picks
This blockbuster trade was a surprise, with it being very tight-lipped to the point where Doncic, LeBron, and Davis did not know this was happening. Davis feels “betrayed,” while Doncic remains “stunned.”
Dallas came to Los Angeles with this trade proposal, which soon got sorted through and accepted by both parties. Utah was the facilitating team to complete the transaction.
The Mavericks thought they would be in a better win-now position for a championship by acquiring the defensive stud. They felt as though the 25-year-old wouldn’t have committed to the Supermax contract worth up to $350 million. Plus, the organization saw his weight and conditioning as a problem.
For the Lakers, this is the perfect trade for them. First of all, they didn’t have to give up much to receive the generational player. Second of all, Los Angeles wanted Doncic to be the face of the franchise after LeBron retired from the game of basketball.
Mavericks’ General Manager Nico Harrison said he traded Doncic because “I believe that defense wins championships.”
“I believe that defense wins championships,” Mavs general manager Nico Harrison told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, “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.”
Per Marc Stein’s report, Doncic is targeting February 8th as his official return date from his calf injury. It would be two days after the trade deadline.
Due to the injuries, dieting decisions, and conditioning problems, this “motivated” the Mavericks to trade him as quickly as humanly possible.
With Doncic set to join the Lakers, he will no longer be eligible for the Supermax contract.
February 25th is the next time the Lakers and Mavericks are scheduled to face each other.
Due to the tragic wildfires rampaging through Los Angeles, the NBA has postponed Thursday night’s Lakers-Hornets game. This game was taking place in Los Angeles.
ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported the news. According to reports, the game will be rescheduled at a later date. Fans should expect a date in the near future.
Head coach JJ Redick’s home was destroyed in the fires, as he is one of many who unfortunately lost their house.
Kawhi Leonard is taking time away from basketball to be with his family, who were affected and had to evacuate due to this tragedy.
As a whole, the entire area of Los Angeles is taking steps for precaution and evacuation.
