Without a doubt, the trade between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks has all the makings of one of the most memorable trades in NBA history, and the timing couldn’t be better for the final stretch of this season. I think we should wait until the end of this season and next to draw conclusions, but it’s obvious that if you ask 99 out of 100 NBA fans about the trade, they will tell you that the Mavericks made the biggest mistake in their 45-year history. Starting with the fact that they received very little – without diminishing Anthony Davis’ career – in exchange for Luka Doncic, a player who, at nearly 26 years old, has been named All-NBA five times in his six seasons and was the most important piece in leading the Mavs to the Finals last season, where they lost to Boston.
Luka Remembers Kobe Bryant in His LA Introduction
During Luka’s introduction to the Lakers, there was a moment – expectedly – when he was asked about a specific encounter with Kobe Bryant. In his early games against the Lakers in Los Angeles, Luka was surprised by Kobe before an inbound pass when he suddenly heard someone speaking Slovenian, his native language. When he turned around, it was Kobe. Luka said: “Just that Kobe knew my name was amazing for me, I just wished Kobe and Gigi were here to see this moment.” Watch the video – the sincerity and emotion in Luka’s words are undeniable.
Kobe would undoubtedly be happiest to see Luka on the team he loves, and watching the Lakers once again surpass the Boston Celtics in championships would have been one of his greatest joys. But Kobe would also be proud to see Luka break several of his records with the franchise. Over the past 50 years, Kobe (81) and Luka (73) are the two players with the most points in a single game. Best of all for Luka, he now has LeBron James as both a teammate and a mentor.
At 40 years old, LeBron is chasing his fifth NBA title, and there’s no better player to help him get there than Luka. Speaking of what the franchise wants, the union of Doncic and James surely has a plan to compete against the archrival Celtics as well. The duel between Doncic and Tatum for at least the next five years is for the Lakers and Celtics to return to what was Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird in the 80’s.
The Lakers’ future is now clearly defined with Luka’s arrival, but for now, as long as LeBron is playing or even coming off the bench, this will remain his team – even if some may already see it as “Doncic’s team. Luka may lose some money in future contracts due to the trade, as he is no longer eligible to sign a Designated Veteran (SuperMax) extension, which was projected at 5 years, $345M. Now he’s looking at a 4-year extension worth about $229M. Still, that’s great money for the only player in NBA history to record 10,000 points, 3,000 rebounds, and 3,000 assists in his first six seasons, while earning 5+ First-Team All-NBA selections and winning 5+ playoff series.