LeBron James (left) and the Lakers are 11-2 since acquiring Luka Doncic (right) in a blockbuster trade with the Mavericks.
LeBron James (left) and the Lakers are 11-2 since acquiring Luka Doncic (right) in a blockbuster trade with the Mavericks.Harry How/Getty
After years of unsuccessfully trying to build a championship contender around LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka was offered a lifeline.
It was a coffee appointment in Dallas with Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison hours before a Lakers-Mavericks game on Jan. 7. Harrison was thinking the unthinkable. He was willing to part with franchise point guard Luka Doncic for the right return.
And Pelinka had that return: Davis. Four weeks later, the two GMs executed the most stunning trade in the past 25 years, as Doncic, the five-time first-team All-NBA guard who had just taken the Mavericks to the NBA Finals, was traded to the Lakers for Davis, rising swingman Max Christie, and a first-round pick.
The aftermath of the trade has been franchise altering for both teams, but in completely opposite ways. Scores of Mavericks fans were devastated and angry about the deal, as Doncic was a cornerstone and hometown favorite. Davis rushed back from a groin injury to return a few days after the deal, played a dominant first half against the Rockets and then strained his adductor muscle in the second half. He hasn’t played since.
Meanwhile, center Daniel Gafford strained his knee and the final blow was a torn ACL suffered by former Celtic Kyrie Irving on Monday. The Mavericks have been a mess since the trade, and Harrison made the deal midseason to boost their chance at Finals run. Now, they are barely hanging on to a play-in spot.
In Los Angeles, Doncic shook off the disappointment, shock, and humiliation of the trade and has dedicated himself into getting to premium shape, meshing with James and embracing the love from a LA fan base that adores its stars.
The Lakers were considered no better than a second-round team in the Western Conference before Doncic’s arrival and now they have catapulted to the No. 2 seed, going 11-2 since the trade despite Doncic’s offensive struggles.
In nine games since joining the Lakers, Luka Doncic has averaged 22.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 7.7 assists.
In nine games since joining the Lakers, Luka Doncic has averaged 22.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 7.7 assists.Jae C. Hong/Associated Press
Yet, his mere presence and ability to handle the ball, take the point guard duties away from James has been a wonder for the offense. The Mavericks not only sent Doncic packing but added some unsavory parting gifts, such as the rumors that his off-court lifestyle and lack of conditioning became a concern. And that Harrison and the ownership group had no plans of offering Doncic the five-year, $345 extension he would have been eligible for this offseason.
Doncic had no plans of leaving Dallas. He recently built a home there and was a staple in the community but the abrupt uprooting has resuscitated his desire and passion for the game, perhaps to prove the Mavericks wrong as well as refresh his reputation.
James is playing at an All-NBA level at age 40 and while he isn’t the freakish athlete of a decade ago, he still has the size, athleticism, and intelligence to dominate a game. He was named Western Conference Player of the Month in February and while he was bothered by losing Davis, he was reinvigorated with the potential of pairing with Doncic.
LEBRON JAMES STARTS THE 50,000 POINTS CLUB 🚨👑
Counting regular season & playoffs...
Another spectacular feat for @KingJames! 👏 pic.twitter.com/7IP9MeQ0lz
— NBA (@NBA) March 5, 2025
The duo quickly squelched the premonition they couldn’t play together because of their ball dominance. They have taken turns running the offense and James has relied more on his size for post presence because Doncic feeds him in preferred spots.
In 11 February games, James averaged 29.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 6.9 assists, shooting 44.3 percent from the 3-point line. He has been rejuvenated and the Lakers come to Boston on Saturday with a legitimate shot of reaching the Western Conference Finals.
While moving Davis, who helped the Lakers to the title in the NBA bubble five years ago, was an emotional decision, it wasn’t a difficult one. Davis is 32 and injury prone and while he is a potential Hall of Famer and one of the better big men of this generation, Doncic is 6 years younger and brings a dazzle and glitz to a franchise. He’s the star power Los Angeles desperately needed to succeed James, and he gets an opportunity to play with a near-prime James for the short term.
Expectations have risen dramatically in Los Angeles. Because of the coaching of JJ Redick and a reinvigorated roster, the Lakers have managed without a reliable big man besides the uneven Jaxson Hayes.
Redick inherited the job with no NBA coaching experience and took his share of criticism when the Lakers began the season 13-12 and languished in the play-in tournament group in mid-December. They’re 26-9 since and the Lakers are first in the NBA in defensive rating in the past 15 games.
The Lakers have been a below average defensive team even in Davis’s prime years, but Redick has devised schemes using its wings such as Dorian Finney-Smith and Jarred Vanderbilt to contain offenses without a true rim protector.
There is excitement in Lakers basketball again. After years of being maligned because of his inability to add a third superstar to Davis and James, Pelinka has changed the course of the franchise after one coffee meeting.
The Lakers are far from a finished product. They were denied a chance at a cornerstone big man when they rescinded the trade for Charlotte’s Mark Williams because of a failed physical. Pelinka will have the summer to add that long-awaited third superstar and become a true championship contender.
But it appears the insistence of Harrison to trade Doncic immediately and then focus on the Lakers as a trade partner instead of including the other 28 teams is the primary reason Showtime is back. The trade was unquestionably going to have a positive impact on Doncic because his image had been damaged and work ethic questioned. And those who believe he’s the reason the Celtics overwhelmed the Mavericks in the Finals are being unfair to Doncic.
The Mavericks lost the Finals because they lacked the talent to compete with the Celtics and Doncic got little scoring help from his teammates. He’ll come to TD Garden on Saturday for the first time since that Game 5 loss to the Celtics last June, but the circumstances are dramatically different.
Harrison has been publicly lambasted by Mavericks fans, a plethora of media members, and analysts for the trade and blamed for the injury aftermath. Meanwhile, Doncic has become somewhat of a sympathetic figure because of the criticism, especially since he carried Dallas to the Finals less than a year ago and is considered one of the league’s more popular superstars.
Doncic didn’t expect to be in this position just a few months ago, but he is now a central figure in the Lakers-Celtics rivalry, which just became even more intriguing with both teams being championship contenders.
Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at gary.washburn@globe.com. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe.