The Los Angeles Lakers had plenty of reasons to jump at the opportunity to acquire Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks when the chance was offered to them. Owner Jeanie Buss, however, revealed that there was one big and surprising motivation behind the deal from the Lakers’ point of view.
In an interview with NPR’s “Morning Edition,” Buss cited the Denver Nuggets as a big reason why the Lakers felt that they had to make a move. Buss pointed out that the Lakers had been eliminated by the Nuggets in back-to-back postseasons, and strongly suggested that she thought the same result would repeat itself unless the Lakers made a big move.
“We gave up a lot to get Luka Doncic,” Buss said. “We’re happy we have him. We have lost the last (two) years in a row to the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs, and we really didn’t have anything that was going to look different going into the playoffs again.
Jeanie Buss looking on
Nov 20, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers President Jeanie Buss before the game against the Chicago Bulls at Staples Center. Bulls won 118-110. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
“Anthony Davis was complaining about where he was being played and he wasn’t happy. So I think this was a positive for both teams. They got what they were looking for; we got what we were looking for.”
The Nuggets swept the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals in 2023, then beat Los Angeles in five games in the first round in 2024. Denver fans were certainly eager to remind the Lakers of their team’s recent mastery of them during the latter series.
At the time of the trade, the Lakers sat fifth in the West, and faced the very real possibility of squaring off with Denver again in the first round. Since then, they have gotten hot and currently sit second in the West, a stretch that included a 123-100 road win over the Nuggets.
The Lakers also know that Doncic can anchor their team for years to come, and do not seem to share the Mavericks’ concerns about his fitness. That was certainly the big reason for the trade. However, they clearly did not want to trip up against the Nuggets again, and evidently feel much more confident now that they will not.