Doncic has been averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 7.8 assists per game this season.
The Dallas Mavericks shocked the basketball world on Saturday night by parting ways with their franchise star.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Mavericks traded five-time All-Star Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, along with other assets, in a three-team blockbuster deal.
At 25, Doncic has been one of basketball’s brightest stars since being drafted by the Mavericks with the No. 3 pick in 2018. He is coming off his best season in 2023-24, where he averaged a career-high 33.9 points per game and led the Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals.
While the Mavericks have had a tough start to this season with a 26–23 record and currently sit eighth in the Western Conference, the team had been expected to contend for championships in the future with Doncic and Kyrie Irving as their dynamic duo. So, what prompted the Mavericks to trade Doncic?
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported on Saturday that the Mavericks had “major concerns” regarding two key factors about Doncic’s future: his conditioning issues and his potential commitment to another supermax contract extension, which he would have been eligible to sign this coming offseason.
Doncic’s conditioning has been a topic of scrutiny at times throughout his career, and he has admitted to being “out of shape” in the past. While he is averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 7.8 assists this season, he has been sidelined since late December due to calf issues.
Doncic has two years left on his contract, earning $45.9 million next season and $48.9 million in 2026-27. He would have been eligible for a five-year contract extension worth a reported $345 million this summer, but the Mavericks decided to take the franchise in a new direction.
Doncic will now join LeBron James in Los Angeles as they both aim for another NBA championship.
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