The 2024-25 NBA season for the Los Angeles Lakers was a full whirlwind. The team entered the year with simple hopes of making the playoffs, and they ended it in a very bittersweet way.
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But how Los Angeles got to the finish line was a wild ride. Los Angeles traded away star big man Anthony Davis in the middle of the season to land guard Luka Doncic, completely changing the identity of the roster.
It was a tough deal for many fans to swallow, even with Doncic coming to town. Davis was a beloved player for the Lakers and helped the franchise win a title in 2020.
But the appeal of landing a player like Doncic in his prime was too much for the Lakers to pass on. The Lakers will now go forward with Doncic as the leader on the team, but the memory of Davis with Los Angeles lingers as well.
In fact, Davis made a surprising visit to the Lakers' practice facility this week, donning a Dallas Mavericks hat. Klutch Sports had its pro day, and Davis came to support all the players involved.
A handful of players and executives were spotted checking out some of the best upcoming players in the 2025 NBA Draft. This includes Khaman Maluach, Walter Clayton, Hansen Yang, and more.
The Lakers only hold a second-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, but they could still be in line to land an impactful player. However, seeing Davis at the facility seemed to overshadow everything else going on.
The image of Davis wearing a Mavericks hat while being in the Lakers' practice facility will surely haunt some fans. But it seems that both sides have moved on, and there is still a mutual respect involved.
In addition to Davis, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison were in attendance. The two are forever linked for the trade that sent Davis to Dallas and Doncic to Los Angeles.
Both the Lakers and Mavericks are moving ahead from the blockbuster trade, and the two teams are gearing up for crucial offseasons. Los Angeles was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, while the Mavericks fell short in the Play-In Tournament.
Dallas did win the NBA Draft lottery and will now have the chance to take Duke star Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 pick. It remains to be seen who "won" the massive trade, but the two franchises will be compared against one another for the foreseeable future.
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This story was originally published May 22, 2025 at 4:11 PM.