Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Lakers are sending Davis, a 2029 first-round pick and Max Christie to the Mavericks, in exchange for Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris.
The Jazz are also receiving Jalen Hood-Schifino from the Lakers, a Mavericks 2025 second-round pick and a 2025 Clippers second-rounder via the Lakers, as Charania posted to X after midnight on the East Coast.
Charania said ‘yes, this is real’ in a subsequent tweet, as he acknowledged fans’ bemusement at the astonishing deal.
He later added that the Mavericks approached the Lakers and offered up five-time All-NBA selection Doncic, with LA brass coming to believe that the 25-year-old could be the ‘face of their franchise.’ Charania later said on SportsCenter that neither Doncic nor Davis had any idea the deal was being discussed.
The Slovenian is considered one of the league’s leading talents and finished third in MVP voting last year.
Davis is also having a highly productive season for the Lakers, averaging 25.7 points and 11.9 rebounds per game, though he is significantly older than Doncic at 31 years old.
Davis missed his team’s win against the Knicks on Saturday night with an abdominal injury, while Christie played and scored 15 points.
Doncic, meanwhile, hasn’t played since Christmas Day after exiting his team’s game against the Timberwolves with a calf strain.
Mavs GM Nico Harrison explained the move to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, saying ‘I believe that defense wins championships.’
‘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,’ he said.
The Mavericks had reportedly grown concerned with Doncic’s conditioning and fitness, while he was also eligible to sign a five-year, $345million supermax contract this summer.
The trade comes less than a year after the Mavericks made the NBA Finals led by Doncic and Kyrie Irving, before the team fell to the Boston Celtics in five games.
“This deal materialized in the shadows … LeBron James had no idea this was coming. Anthony Davis had no idea this was coming. I’m told Luka Doncic is still stunned about this trade.”@ShamsCharania on the Anthony Davis-Luka Doncic trade between the Lakers and Mavericks pic.twitter.com/Hp4bL3UX2M
— ESPN (@espn) February 2, 2025
The Lakers, meanwhile, are fifth in the Western Conference but have struggled to contend for a championship after winning the title in the 2019-20 season.
The move stunned the sports world, with many fans and media wondering if Charania had been hacked.
Even LeBron James was unaware that trade talks were ongoing, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, as he learned about the deal breaking while at dinner and was ‘surprised’ with the news.
Meanwhile, the Knicks’ Jalen Brunson asked if it was ‘April Fools’ while the Pacers Tyrese Haliburton said ‘Shams got hacked?’
That shock also applied to quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who wrote ‘I’m sick rn….’ after the deal had broken.
Doncic will get a chance to face his old team when the Lakers host the Mavs on February 25.