NEW YORK — The Lakers pulled off a stunning trade Saturday night, sending center Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks for star guard Luka Doncic to set up the organization for its post-LeBron James era with one of the NBA’s best young players.
The deal happened after the Lakers beat the Knicks 128-112 in Madison Square Garden, according to people with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly.
The terms of the trade are Davis, young guard Max Christie and the Lakers’ 2029 first-round draft pick to Dallas for Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris. The Lakers also sent Jalen Hood-Schifino to the Jazz, who got second-round picks from the Lakers (their 2025 pick from the Clippers) and the Mavericks to facilitate the trade.
According to people inside the Lakers’ locker room not authorized to speak publicly, the trade was a complete shock and came after one of their best wins of the season against New York.
The Lakers, according to people with knowledge of the situation, were presented with the opportunity to acquire Doncic, who is currently out with a calf injury, and couldn’t turn down the chance to get the 25-year-old guard as the future face of their franchise.
