LOS ANGELES (AP) — While Luka Doncic went through his pregame routine on the home half of the Los Angeles Lakers’ court Tuesday night, Anthony Davis emerged from the visitors’ locker room and did his own pregame workout on the other end.
It’s still a bit discombobulating to see these two superstars in their new roles, but it’s about to get much more real.
Just 23 days after the Dallas Mavericks and the Lakers made the most surprising sports trade in years, the teams faced off in downtown Los Angeles. And while Davis was sidelined due to injury, Dallas had to face Doncic — last season’s scoring champion, a five-time All-NBA selection and the face of the Mavericks franchise until he suddenly wasn’t.
“The business of basketball can be shocking,” said Dallas coach Jason Kidd, who remains close to Doncic. “And it was shocking to the world. But you have to move forward. You have to push forward. (Doncic) has a job to do, and that’s to play basketball at a high level, and I think he can do that.”
Lakers fans who had already arrived for pregame warmups got to see both major figures in the trade on court at the same time, and they had loud cheers for both. While Doncic is already becoming wildly popular in LA, Davis is still adored in the city where he spent the last 5 1/2 seasons.
And as for Dallas general manager Nico Harrison, whose entire reputation is riding on the trade?
One Lakers fan saw him walking through the tunnel during warmups and shouted: “Good trade! We love you, Nico!”
Doncic was widely assumed to be untouchable as one of the league’s best players at just 25 years old — and particularly after carrying the Mavs to the NBA Finals last season. Harrison thought otherwise, and the Lakers eagerly gave up a championship-winning big man to acquire a younger foundational talent for the next decade and beyond.
Doncic declined to speak about the matchup after practice Monday, but his new teammates and coaches expected the Slovenian superstar to handle it gracefully.
“He’s at his best when he has that balance of joy and playfulness and that killer mentality, just perfectly living in the moment of competition,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “He’ll find that tonight.”
Davis, the 10-time All-Star big man who teamed up with LeBron James to lead the Lakers to the 2020 championship, is out at least two more weeks with a groin injury sustained in his Mavs debut.
Los Angeles also welcomed back Max Christie, the Lakers’ former second-round pick who grew into a starter this season before the trade.
Redick said he will always be grateful for Davis’ quick acceptance of him as a head coach this season when Redick had no prior experience in the job.
“I miss being around him every day,” Redick said. “He’s a fantastic human being, wonderful teammate.”
Doncic was stunned and hurt by the trade, and the upheaval was compounded by the fact he was still recovering from a strained left calf that sidelined him for 6 1/2 weeks. He has returned to the court gradually with his new team, but Doncic already is finding his stride alongside James in the Lakers’ new starting lineup.
After struggling with his shot at times during his first three games with the Lakers, Doncic found his form last Saturday night while leading Los Angeles to a surprising blowout win at Denver. Doncic had 32 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and four steals in a superb performance against an opponent that easily had handled the Lakers for years.
“He is the game plan,” Kidd said. “He is a Picasso. He’s going to paint beautiful paintings. You’ve just got to make it tough. … When he’s smiling, he’s in a great place and he’s having fun. It’s good to see that he’s smiling here of late.”
The next trade reunion should be even crazier: The Lakers visit Dallas on April 9, and Mavs fans already have been extraordinarily vocal in their displeasure with Harrison and the Dallas ownership group.
