The greatest rivalry in the NBA just got more interesting. The Lakers now have Luka Doncic in their arsenal against their fierce rivals the Celtics. The Celtics are already one up on Doncic, as they defeated the Mavericks last season in the finals to lift their 18th championship. Luka will be looking to settle the score but in the iconic purple and gold not blue.
While Joe Mazzulla brushed off any questions related to the trade. At the pregame podium he said, “Don’t ask about the trade. I really don’t care.”. But his players cared. Early Sunday, news broke that Luka was on the move to the Lakers, in a three-team deal that also brought Anthony Davis to Dallas.
Kristaps Porzingis, Doncic’s former teammate, was left speechless by the news. He called it “the craziest trade in NBA history.” But Porzingis also sees a silver lining for Luka. He believes teaming up with LeBron could be a huge opportunity for Doncic. “That could really benefit his career, and there’s somebody that, how he takes care of his body, the length of his career and all this, I think there’s a lot of things he’ll be able to learn if he wants to.” said the 7-feet 2 Celtics center.
NEW STORY: Kristaps Porzingis said he was speechless to hear about the Mavericks trade. He believes it’s “the craziest trade in NBA history.”
He also thinks his old teammate Luka Doncic could benefit from playing alongside LeBron.
“That could really benefit his career, and…
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) February 3, 2025
One of the reasons the Mavs traded the Slovenian was because of his conditioning. His frequent injuries were a turn off for Dallas. When Doncic torched the Timberwolves in Game 5 of the conference finals last season, sinking 14 of 22 shots on his way to a 36-point performance. With the series wrapped up, he figured a cold beer was the perfect way to celebrate. But before he could even take a sip, Mavericks assistant GM Michael Finley snatched it right out of his hands. Well who better than the oldest player in the league who’s still performing at an elite level to learn from?
Porzingis was shocked but his teammate Jaylen Brown? Unfazed. “Um, I wasn’t shocked, I wasn’t shocked. Um, maybe a little bit,” Brown admitted. “But you know the NBA is NBA. You know behind closed doors, you don’t know what’s going on. People fall out, you know. People don’t see eye to eye, people have disagreements.”
“For whatever, you know, reasons, Dallas and LA, they had their own timelines that they’re looking into,” Brown explained. “The Lakers probably wanted to secure their future and, uh, Dallas probably wanted to win now.”
At first, even Brown found the move surprising, but once he took a step back, the logic behind it became clearer. Al Horford didn’t mince words when reacting to the trade, putting it right up there with LeBron James’ infamous move to Miami. “One of the bigger moves in NBA history,” he said, still wrapping his head around it. The shock factor was undeniable. “Surprising or not, you’re not used to seeing something like that,” he admitted. “I really don’t understand it. I think we’re all kind of looking for those answers right now.”
But while the deal raised plenty of eyebrows, Horford pointed out that Anthony Davis was playing at an elite level again. Meanwhile, Dallas had Kyrie Irving to take the reins. “It will be interesting to see obviously how it plays out from both sides,” he said, curious about what comes next.
As for how this blockbuster move might shake up Celtics matchups? Horford wasn’t losing sleep over that. Well the Celtics did contain him in the finals and his defense in the finals might have something to with the trade.
Boston might’ve had a hand in sending Luka Doncic to their rivals
Mavericks GM Nico Harrison didn’t sugarcoat it when explaining why they moved on from Luka Doncic. “I believe that defense wins championships,” he told ESPN. “I believe that getting an All-Defensive center and an All-NBA player with a defensive mindset gives us a better chance. We’re built to win now and in the future” (via ESPN). Translation? No matter how elite Luka was offensively, his defense was a glaring weakness.
And if anyone proved that, it was the Celtics. They put him through the wringer in the Finals, exposing his defensive flaws for the whole world to see. That humiliation likely pushed Dallas to shake things up, bringing in AD to anchor their defense. With scorers like Kyrie and Klay Thompson, the Mavs are betting they can make up for Luka’s offensive absence. But let’s be real—Luka was the offense. Without him orchestrating, will this experiment even work?
Jun 17, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) drives to the basket against Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) in game five of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports
In the end, Boston didn’t just win a championship—they might’ve forced Dallas to hit the reset button entirely. Another team, another era, checked off their list.
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