Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade grades: Winners, losers, what’s next

The Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers stunned the NBA overnight Saturday with a swap of All-Stars that has massive implications for this season and beyond.

A year after leading the NBA in scoring and finishing third in MVP voting en route to his first NBA Finals appearance, Luka Doncic is headed to the Lakers as their next superstar. In exchange, Dallas acquired All-Star center Anthony Davis, the Lakers’ leader in points, rebounds and blocks per game, as well as promising guard Max Christie and the Lakers’ 2029 first-round pick.

Because of the NBA’s salary cap rules, the trade also required the Utah Jazz as a third team, which acquired guard Jalen Hood-Schifino from the Lakers and 2025 second-round picks from the Clippers and Mavs.

Let’s try to wrap our heads around a trade that truly came out of nowhere to understand what it means for all three teams, including the new directions for the Lakers and Mavs, plus an early look at the LeBron-Luka dynamic in L.A.