NEW YORK — In a blockbuster trade that figures to impact the Western Conference balance of power for years to come, the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz agreed to a three-team deal that will swap Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania late Saturday night.
L.A. will receive Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris from the Mavericks, sources said. Dallas will receive Davis, Max Christie and the Lakers’ 2029 first-round pick.
The Jazz will receive Jalen Hood-Schifino, the Clippers’ 2025 second-round pick and the Mavs’ 2025 second-round pick.
“I believe that defense wins championships,” Mavs general manager Nico Harrison told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, explaining his motivation to deal Doncic for Davis. “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 trade talks were initiated by Dallas, league sources told ESPN, and began a few days ago. Harrison and Rob Pelinka, the Lakers’ vice president of basketball operations and general manager, have a long-standing relationship dating to when Harrison was Kobe Bryant’s marketing manager at Nike and Pelinka was Bryant’s agent.
The Lakers’ front office, ownership group and coaching staff were in alignment on the deal, excited to acquire a young superstar in Doncic while recognizing it takes a lot to get a lot in the NBA.
Lakers superstar LeBron James learned of the trade when it broke while he was out to dinner with his family after Saturday’s win against the New York Knicks, 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. Davis and Doncic were also not informed of the trade ahead of time, sources told Charania.
The Mavericks were motivated to move Doncic because of his constant conditioning concerns, sources told MacMahon. 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.
Though Doncic was relatively svelte by his standards when he reported to camp, his weight ballooned to the high 260s early this season, sources said. He sat out five games in late November, when the Mavs listed him with a sprained right wrist, an extended absence to allow Doncic to focus on his conditioning. He had a similar early-season layoff in the 2022-23 season.
Doncic has been limited to only 22 games this season because of a variety of injuries. He has twice strained his left calf since reporting back to Dallas before training camp in late September, although the Mavs reported the fall injury only as a calf contusion, sources said.
Doncic has not played since straining his calf on Christmas Day but has been targeting a return before the All-Star break later this month, sources told MacMahon. Davis has also been out after being diagnosed with an abdominal muscle strain earlier this week. He’s missed the Lakers’ last two games. Davis was expected to get reevaluated in a week, according to the Lakers on Wednesday.
Doncic was in line to receive a five-year, $345 million contract this summer but because of the trade, he is no longer eligible for a super max deal, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
The deal is as stunning as it is historic. It’s the first time in NBA history that two reigning All-NBA players have been traded for each other midseason, according to Elias.
The Lakers and Mavericks play each other twice more in the regular season; first on Feb. 25 in Los Angeles and then on April 9 in Dallas.
