Entire Sports World Stunned By Shocking NBA Trade Sending Luka Doncic To Lakers, Anthony Davis To Mavericks

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Just after midnight on the East Coast on Saturday night, the NBA world was stunned as the Dallas Mavericks sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in a three-team deal shipping Anthony Davis to The Big D.

The Lakers also received Markieff Morris and Maxi Kleiber while the Mavs acquired Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick. As for the third team involved, the Utah Jazz acquired Jalen Hood-Schifino while swapping 2025 second-round draft picks with the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Doncic-Davis swap is one of the most stunning trades in recent NBA history, and athletes worldwide could not believe their eyes when seeing the news break across social media.

While two legitimate superstars being swapped for one another in the middle of the night is always going to have a shock factor, what makes this situation even more stunning is that no one, not even LeBron James, seemed to have a clue that a deal was even being discussed.

According to NBA insider Dave McMenamin, James learned of the Davis-Doncic trade while at a late dinner in New York City following the Lakers' win over the Knicks on Saturday.

"LeBron James learned of the Davis-Doncic trade after the Knicks game when it broke while he was out to dinner with his family, sources close to James told ESPN," McMenamin shared on X. "James was surprised by the news, is processing it and had no idea it was in the works."

It's hard to believe that LeBron was blindsided by the trade given the ginormous hand he very clearly plays in the Lakers' operations, but him lying about not knowing about the deal would benefit no one. The fact that he wasn't in on trade discussions is telling, to put it mildly.

Doncic, who will turn 26 later this month, has not played since Christmas after picking up a calf injury. When he returns to full health, however, he and James could form one of the most-lethal and entertaining duos the basketball world has seen in many, many years. 

The 31-year-old Davis teaming up with Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson can't be overlooked, either. Forming a three-headed monster in Dallas could see the Mavs bolt up the Western Conference standings as we're just past the midway point of the season.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets, including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016, when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.