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Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic suddenly traded to L.A. Lakers

Luka Doncic

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Luka Doncic was traded by the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis as part of a three-team deal. The trade was announced on February 2 after the teams got the required league approval.

Doncic led Dallas to the NBA Finals last season. Davis won a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers. They now have switched teams in an absolute blockbuster.

The trade talks, which took place over about a month, were kept extremely tight-lipped by Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison and Lakers GM Rob Pelinka. Among those not in the know until the end of the process: Mavs coach Jason Kidd.

His first reaction? “Shock,” Kidd said, though he later added that he believes it's the right move for his team going forward.

Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris are also headed to the Lakers, while Max Christie went to Dallas. The Utah Jazz also were involved, getting Jalen Hood-Schifino and a 2025 second-rounder from both the Mavs and Lakers.

“Sports are about transformative moments,” Pelinka said. “We are inspired by these moments Lakers fans know, expect, and love with a franchise that continually ushers in new eras of greatness. ... Luka is a one-of-a-kind, young global superstar who will lead this franchise for years to come. His killer instincts and commitment to winning championships will be a driving force for the team.”

The trade news broke shortly after the Lakers beat the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Davis was not with the Lakers for the game; he has been in Los Angeles because of an abdominal injury that needed assessing.

Doncic has not played for Dallas since Christmas, when he exited a game with a strained left calf. The trade may come at a serious price for Doncic, who now can't sign a five-year supermax contract extension this summer that could have been worth around $345 million.

It was never clear if the Mavs would have offered such a massive deal. Doncic also would have had an option to leave as a free agent after the 2025-26 season, and it's certain that other teams with hopes of landing the Slovenian star would have planned for such scenarios.

“There’s other teams that were loading up,” Harrison said Sunday. “He was going to be able to make his own decision at some point of whether he wants to be here or not, whether we want to supermax him or not, or whether he wants to opt out. We had to take all that into consideration and I feel like we got out in front of what could have been a tumultuous summer.”

Doncic is still eligible for an extension this summer, with the max that the Lakers could offer him being five years at about $230 million — a $115 million difference than what the supermax could have been.

The deal pairs Doncic with LeBron James as the new 1-2 punch in Los Angeles, while Davis would be forming a new star duo with Kyrie Irving in Dallas. And it reunites Doncic with his former teammate, Lakers coach JJ Redick.

Doncic was one of the Mavericks players on the floor when Redick came out of a game for the final time on May 11, 2021.

For the Mavericks, the decision largely came down to what Davis does on the defensive end of the floor.

“We think defense wins championships and we're bringing in one of the best two-way players in the league,” Harrison said. He added that Davis' ability to be elite at both ends makes him “a unique unicorn” in the NBA.

“We feel like we're built to win now as well as in the future,” Harrison said.

There was one game still going on in the NBA late Saturday night as the trade began emerging, that being Phoenix-Portland. Suns guard Devin Booker said someone in the stands told him and his teammates of the trade.

“They said Luka. I said, ‘Luka Garza?’” Booker said, referencing a Minnesota center. Booker wasn't trying to be funny. He just thought what many probably thought — that there was no way the Mavs would move Doncic.

“It’s crazy, man. I really don’t know what to say about it," Booker said. “Luka being a guy that everybody has claimed is untouchable and untradeable. The NBA shows you again. Can't predict. It’s a business. They’re always having a conversation about you. So don’t think you’re safer than you are.”

Added fellow Suns star Kevin Durant: “Insane. It’s crazy. Crazy. Damn, would of never thought Luka Doncic would get traded. At his age, midseason, the NBA is a wild place, man. If he can get traded then anybody is up for grabs.”

Dallas played at Cleveland on Sunday, while the Lakers are off until visiting the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night. It's not clear when Doncic or Davis could play for their new clubs; there is no firm timetable for their returns from injury.

Among players with at least 400 games, Doncic’s 28.6-point average is third in NBA history behind only Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain — both at 30.1.

He was third in the MVP voting last season after averaging 33.9 points, 9.8 assists, and 9.2 rebounds per game, easily one of the greatest seasons in league history. Doncic — who turns 26 later this month and refers to James as an “idol” — had a 73-point game against Atlanta on January 26, 2024, tying the fourth-highest scoring total ever in an NBA game. Only Chamberlain (100), Kobe Bryant (81) and Chamberlain (78) scored more.

Davis, an All-Star pick this year for the 10th time in his career, turns 32 next month. He’s part of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team, helped the Lakers win the NBA title in the bubble in 2020, and — like Doncic — is a five-time All-NBA selection.

Doncic is averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists this season. Davis is averaging 25.7 points and 11.9 rebounds.

Harrison understands the risk and the anger among some in the Mavs fan base; some people protested outside the team's arena in Dallas on Sunday. He has traded away a young superstar, someone who easily could be one of the game's best players for the next decade, for a player in his 30s with a challenging injury history.

“I understand the magnitude of it,” Harrison said. “The easiest thing for me to do is do nothing and everyone would praise me for doing nothing. But we really believe in it and time will tell if I'm right."

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AP Sports Writer Schuyler Dixon in Dallas and AP freelance writer Erik Garcia Gundersen in Portland, Oregon, contributed to this report.

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RIP Don

Don Nelson, legendary Dallas Mavericks head coach, dies at 86

Ronald Martinez /Allsport

Head Coach Don Nelson of the Dallas Mavericks points from the sidelines during the game against the Atlanta Hawks at Reunion Arena in Dallas on April 5, 2001.

Former Dallas Mavericks coach Don Nelson, the second-winningest coach in NBA history who won five championships as a player with the Boston Celtics, died Sunday, August 9. He was 86.

Nelson’s family confirmed the death in a statement that did not say where he died or provide a cause.

“On Sunday morning our beloved husband, dad, grandfather and great-grandfather Don Nelson peacefully went to be with the Lord, surrounded by his loving family,” the statement said. “Throughout his last week, friends and family encircled him with love, sharing the blessing of his friendship and revisiting treasured memories.”

Nelson is one of two coaches in NBA history to have at least 250 wins with three different franchises — Milwaukee, Dallas and Golden State — also serving as general manager for all three franchises. He was a three-time coach of the year and made the playoffs 18 times in 31 seasons. He went to the conference finals three times with the Bucks and once with the Mavericks, never winning a title.

Nelson introduced what is now known as the point forward, and his up-tempo style of offense created a buzz. He said the idea of shifting from the dominant big men of the 1970s to an offense focused on speed and the fast break came from his playing days under Celtics Hall of Fame coach Red Auerbach.

“The league really hadn’t seen an offense like the one we were running, and the results were undeniable,” Nelson wrote in 2016 in The Players’ Tribune.

Nelson said that “without Red Auerbach teaching me the mechanics of running the fast break, none of it would have been possible. He deserves all the credit for Nellie Ball, and for how fast the game of basketball is played today.”

Nelson played 11 of his 14 seasons in Boston and was on five Celtics championship teams under four different coaches. He became an assistant coach in Milwaukee after retiring as a player, then took over after coach Larry Costello resigned 18 games into the 1976-77 season. Nelson coached the Bucks for 11 seasons starting in 1976 and won seven straight division titles.

In Nelson’s second season, Milwaukee overcame a 29-point fourth quarter deficit to beat Atlanta 117-115 in regulation.

“I coached the team as though I was still playing for the Celtics, while implementing a few of my own strategies,” Nelson wrote. “I knew I wanted to play unconventional basketball and use speed to my advantage.”

His fast-paced offenses were probably best on display with Golden State in the “Run TMC” era featuring future Hall of Famers Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin. Nelson said he wanted them on the court at the same time.

Nelson spent 11 seasons over two stints with Golden State. The first one was punctuated by a rift with rookie star Chris Webber, who was traded away a month into his second season. Nelson, demoralized by the trade, missed nine games that season due to illness and resigned under pressure three months later in February 1995.

In between, Nelson was fired after less than one season in New York in 1995-96, then coached in Dallas for eight seasons, missing 21 games with the Mavericks starting in December 2000 to recuperate from prostate cancer surgery.

Nelson’s son, Donnie, joined his father as an assistant coach with the Mavericks in 1998, later became general manager and remained with the organization until 2021. Together they persuaded 20-year-old German star Dirk Nowitzki to pass up European basketball and join the Mavericks. Don Nelson also developed Steve Nash into one of the NBA’s top point guards before Nash went on to win back-to-back MVPs with the Phoenix Suns in 2005 and 2006.

Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks Don and Donnie Nelson persuaded 20-year-old German star Dirk Nowitzki to pass up European basketball and join the Mavericks. Dallas Mavericks Facebook

“Don Nelson was a true innovator whose influence on the game of basketball is still felt today,” current Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “He consistently challenged conventional thinking, experimented with different lineups and styles of play and saw possibilities in the game that others often did not. So much of what is now commonplace in the modern NBA can be traced back to the way Nellie approached the game."

At Golden State, Nelson’s “We Believe” Warriors led by Baron Davis upset Nowitzki and the top-seeded Mavericks in the first round of the 2007 playoffs in one of the biggest shockers in NBA history. In his final season as a coach, Nelson mentored rookie Stephen Curry in 2009-10.

“One of the big reasons I was drafted by the Warriors was because of Don Nelson. The story is he never liked rookies, but from Day 1 he challenged me and gave me an opportunity to be my best self on the court,” Curry said in a statement released by the Warriors. “He taught me a lot during our one season together and I’ll never forget the night he became the winningest coach in NBA history in Minnesota. We were so happy for him. He had an immeasurable impact on the sport and will go down as one of the greatest minds in the history of the game.”

Davis added: “When I think of Nellie, I’ll always think of the ‘We Believe’ team and our incredible run in 2007. He understood what made us go and made us believe we could beat anybody, ultimately helping us make history as the first No. 8 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed in a seven-game series. That time in my life and career was truly special, and Nellie was a huge part of making it possible.”

Nelson retired as the NBA’s career coaching wins leader with 1,335, just ahead of Lenny Wilkens’ 1,332. Nelson kept that top spot for nearly 12 years before close friend and now-retired San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich passed him in March 2022.

Nelson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012. In 2025, he received the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by the National Basketball Coaches Association. Miffed that the Mavericks sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in a blockbuster trade, Nelson wore a pair of Doncic’s signature Jordan Brand sneakers to the awards ceremony. He called the trade a “tremendous mistake.”

Don Nelson was miffed that the Mavericks sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in a blockbuster trade Courtesy photo

Born in Muskegon, Michigan, Nelson attended high school in Rock Island, Illinois, and averaged a double-double in college at Iowa. He spent his retirement years living on the Hawaiian island of Maui and owned several short-term rentals on the island.Dallas

Mavericks Governor Patrick Dumont issued the following statement on the passing of Nelson:

“Don Nelson was a true original whose impact on the Dallas Mavericks and the game of basketball will endure for generations. Nellie helped transform this franchise, bringing an innovative spirit, a belief in doing things differently and, most importantly, a winning culture to Dallas. His influence can be seen throughout Mavericks history and across the NBA today.

“On behalf of the entire Mavericks organization, our thoughts are with Don’s family, friends, former players and coaches, and the many people whose lives he touched. We are grateful for all he gave to the Mavericks and to the game he loved.”

Read the Mavericks' tribute to Don Nelson at mavs.com/news/don-nelson-one-of-a-kind.

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Stephanie Allmon Merry contributed to this story.

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