Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - THE LAKERS TRADE ANTHONY DAVIS TO DALLAS FOR LUKA DONCIC

Episode Date: February 1, 2025

Blockbuster doesn't describe it. The Lakers and Dallas Mavericks have agreed to one of the most stunning trades in any sport, anywhere. LA sends Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first round pick to Dallas for Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris. (LA also moves Jalen Hood-Schifino and the remaining second rounders they had to Utah, who popped in to help facilitate the deal and get some stuff for their troubles.) It's impossible to understate how stunning a deal this is. The Mavs are moving a 25 year old perennial All NBA performer, a guy who finished 3rd in MVP voting last year and was on track to challenge for it again this year before a calf injury took him off track. This does not happen. Why did they do it? Reportedly because they wanted to get better defensively (hence the acquisitions of Davis and Christie) but mostly because they think he's too big a risk for the massive contract he's about to receive, because of consistent questions about his fitness and work ethic. So if they're right? The Lakers are in for a frustrating few years. If they're wrong? The Lakers have a generational superstar, and completely chance the arc of the post-LeBron era. What does it mean for this season? It's hard to say. First, because the Lakers still have a few days to make more moves. Second, because it's such a huge change that it's hard to know what the team will look like when Doncic takes the floor. They're certainly weaker defensively, though likely more dynamic on the other end. Losing Christie hurts. They need another wing, they BADLY need center help. But this trade doesn't seem like it's about this season, but the future. Wow. Wow, wow, wow, wow.  HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky Your favorite podcast now has a newsletter! In One-stop for ultimate team and league coverage delivered right to your in box. Sign up for free now, at lockedondaily.com.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!PrizePicksDownload the app and use code lockedonnfl to win $50 instantly when you play $5. You don't even need to win to receive your $50 bonus, it's guaranteed! Prizepicks. Run Your Game.Click Here: https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONNBA BetterHelpThis episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Rediscover your curiosity with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDONNBA today to get 10% off your first month.RobinhoodWith Robinhood Gold, you can now enjoy the VIP treatment. The new Gold Standard is here with Robinhood Gold. To receive 3% boost on annual IRA contributions,  sign up at robinhood.com/gold. GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNBA for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.FanDuelSuper Bowl 59 is here, And there’s no better way to make every play more exciting than with FanDuel Sportsbook. New customers can bet just FIVE DOLLARS, and if you win, you’ll score TWO HUNDRED BUCKS in Bonus Bets. Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of Super Bowl Fifty-Nine. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

All right. Hey, everyone. Welcome to a special live bonus episode of Locked on Lakers. Brian Komenetsky, Andy Komenetsky, here we thought the most exciting thing that would happen on Saturday night was to be the Lakers thumping the Knicks in New York, a great game, a LeBron James triple double. And officially nobody cares anymore. The Lakers have traded Anthony Davis and Max Christie to the Dallas, to the Dallas, to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for. Luca Donchich, a first round pick, 29, 2029 first round pick of the Lakers, also headed to Dallas in that exchange. Oh my God, a lot to talk about. We'll do it next.

You are Locked on Lakers. Your daily Los Angeles Lakers podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Oh, thanks to everyone for making Locked on Lakers first listen of every day and evening. our first live show, Andy. We've never actually gone live

for our program here at Lockdown Lakers here on YouTube with over 27,000 subscribers. You know what gets us to do that? When the Lakers trade to Anthony Davis, we always said, if the Lakers ever trade AD to Dallas

for Luca, we'll do a live show. And here we are, keeping our word. This is, I'm not going to say one of the most stunning trades in NBA history that I can think of in like sports that I can think. We're obviously

this has happened what, 20 minutes or a half hour ago so a lot of details still emerging which we will talk about as we get going here and you know for for days but this was such a big deal Andy

this trade again. Lakers moving AD and And Christie and a 2029 first round pick to Dallas. Jalen Hood-Chafino goes to Utah, along with, I believe, a couple of the Lakers' second-round picks for next year. I think those were Lakers' picks that went out the door there. In exchange, and the Lakers get Maxie Klaeba and Marquif Morris in addition to Luca. Former Lakers champion, Markeith Morris. It should be noted.

The Lakers have not won an effing championship. It's true. Since Markief Morris left, this is how big of a surprise this was. I mean, like, it's obviously seismic by definition. Part of the reason that it took us, you know, maybe 20 to 30 minutes to go live, is we were checking the living bleep out of this

just to make sure that this wasn't like some massively orchestrated hack across NBA Twitter that basically everybody other than us was getting hacked on our Twitter accounts because apparently we're not important. We're just not big. First of all, we'd like to welcome

all of our new Slovenian followers to the show. I'm Brian. He's Andy. I basically needed to see it on TV. I was like, we're not going, we're not starting a show until someone talks about this on television. And then, of course, they did and shams at ESPN breaking the story. But like everybody, everybody was worried about exactly the same thing.

I, what was your first reaction to this? in terms of, well, just whatever. Like, what was your first reaction to this? Once we were convinced that it was actually real? Once we knew it was real, yes. Who initiated it? I wanted to know how this came about, because when I say that this took everybody by surprise,

I mean this took everyone by surprise. Like we have text threads with people at 710 ESPM, where Brian and I both appear regularly. we're part of the Locked-on network, you know, NBA channel thread. There is no inkling, you know, you see Tim McMahon and Brian Winhorse talking about it on ESPN right now. Like nobody seemed to have the slightest indication that this was coming at all. So then it's starting to be reported that this was something that Dallas approached the Lakers about. I got to be honest.

my first concern or first my immediate reaction, although I guess I'm giving it away when I say concern is what are the Mavericks know? Because you don't trade MVP caliber players just entering their prime. Not MVP caliber players. I mean, MVP winners. Lucas, Luke is never won MVP. But like, yeah, correct. I'm sorry. Right. He's an MVP. Right. He's an MVP caliber player. just entering his prime, like he will be 26 in February, the biggest star they've had since Dirk Novitsky, and by all accounts, they had been seemingly setting up for him to be the face of this franchise. My immediate reaction is, what does Dallas know? Like what would lead Dallas to do this? Like if the Lakers had approached Dallas about it,

at first. That would at least follow a certain logic you'd expect, looking for the younger, you're looking for the younger player. You know, Anthony Davis is a better two-way player than Luca Donchich, but Luca is considered across, you know, NBA punditry, I think NBA circles, the better overall player. And he's six years, you know, five to six years younger than Andy. Right. So it would feel more predictable if the Lakers had approached Dallas about this. That Dallas approached the Lakers, I can't lie. Even with Lucas' incredible talent, my immediate reaction was, what do they know and why? Well, what they said, and this is the reporting from Tim, who is as dialed into the Mavericks as any human being can be, this is about them having. Nico Harrison essentially said as much. This is about them believing that that Luca is not reliable.

The Mavericks, the Lakers are going to have to pay Luca a lot, and they will, but they'll give them a regular max. The Mavericks were in, and Brian Wayne Horse broke this down really well on ESPN, so I'd make sure I'm crediting people here. $350 million, five-year, $350 million is what was coming to Luca. and they did not believe he was reliable enough to give him that contract. That is by trading him, you are saying,

we do not believe that you are worth, you know, back of the envelope math there. That's what, $75 million a year? $70. $70 million. If it's $5.350, that's 70 mil.

Okay. It's a lot. Yes. And so I apologize. It's like I don't have this information from me because I wasn't prepared to look it up. This is a number that the Lakers are not going to have to hit that Supermax number. They're just going to pay a ton of money, and they will.

And so it makes me, I will say, we'll do this part first. It absolutely makes me nervous that Dallas was like, we don't want to do this. Hey, and apparently this all came together very quickly. What do you think? Luke a bad defensive player skinny fat as we saw the comment earlier has a real conditioning issue that has been is this not a secret

no okay it's very open it's a very open secret and it's not an open it's not it's the maps have been leaning on him to to get in shape for and really get in like real shape for a long time now so that's the part that concerns me

I'll tell you really quickly what also concerns me, the Lakers' future willingness to make Luca do these sorts of things. Sure. And we'll get to this. And like what it means now versus what it means to the future. So we'll get to all this in a second.

But like here's the part that you look at and you say, okay, but right, some risk there. Luca Dantrich is if, you know, arguably the second best player, in the world? He's up there. He is up there. He is stunningly good at basketball in terms of the numbers that he puts up and the types of stuff that he does. Just bringing up the numbers here again.

Again, we're popping around so many things. It was not prepared. Our heads are spinning people. Yeah. And so like going, you know, I'm not totally sure that I'm going to be able to do this without. saying something that's going to get us in trouble with the network. He has finished, he won rookie of the year in his first season, finished fourth in MVP second season, sixth in his third season,

fifth in his fourth season, eighth in his next season, last season he was third, and would have probably been, will this year, had he not missed some games, would be somewhere higher in there. Or, you know, right up there was an MVP candidate before he got hurt. he averages for his career this year he's averaging 34 points a game with nine rebounds and a little over nine rebounds and 9.8 assists a triple double every night with 30 points a game he's 25 years old I'm seeing 28 I'm seeing 28 I'm sorry 20 8 and 8 am I'm saying I'm saying

I'm sorry that was last year average 34 Right. Last year you averaged 34, 9, and almost 10. This year he's averaging 28, 8, and 8, basically. That's remarkable production. And, you know, as a 25, like, if he stays in shape, if he takes care of his body, if he does like the Lakers went backwards with a general, you know, and they're sort of generational clock. got a 25-year-old that you can now build stuff around and can go forward with this guy knowing he's your centerpiece. Is there a risk? Sure. Do you get a chance to get a 25-year-old all-NBA performer most days of the week? You do not.

The next part of this that is a consideration, because we did a post-game show for this next game. One of the things we talked about, Andy, was, man, the Lakers are nine games over 500. they're looking pretty good. Like, what are they this year? This trade blows all of that up because, to me at least, particularly when you trade Christie and AD out the door, this is not a trade that makes you better now. The Lakers have opened up holes for themselves defensively

that are going to be really hard to fill. And while they've gotten better offensively, assuming Luca, who is, I think Luca and AD injury-wise, are both on basically the same timeline for when they would come back. I don't think this helps them this year unless Palinka's got more still to come, because the Lakers really need a center now. They needed a center at 2 o'clock this afternoon. They desperately need one now.

Yeah, I mean, Jackson Hayes had a nice game against it. It wasn't that good. But he wasn't that good. I mean, there's also, too, the question of getting all of this on the same page, like now fast because it sounded like Dallas wanted him out quickly. If you're going to do this, you can't shop him. He's got to be gone.

Right. Yeah, I mean, you, I saw Tim McMahon on ESPN. I'm paraphrasing a little bit, but saying like, hell hath no fury like Luca scorned essentially like get your popcorn for the first game he's back in Dallas. like this is something Luca is going to take very personally, as he should, by the way. He should take this damn personally and hopefully in the most positive way possible for the Lakers. Like, yes, our everydayers may remember I was talking about AD and it felt to me early in the season very much having a double middle fingers attitude to the world.

I need Luca to have that towards the Mavericks, towards the rest of the league, towards everything other than the gym and like, you know, the trainers and working out. But they've got a lot to get on the same page fast because you're talking about LeBron and Luca two exceptionally talented playmakers and offensive generators, but both very ball dominant players. They're going to have to learn how to play off each other like now. Yeah. Now, Wendy, Wendy on ESPN talked a lot about, you know, LeBron apparently is really always been a huge fan of Luca, is, you know, like the idea of playing with Luca. And so, you know, on paper at least, what you could do with the LeBron James and

Luca offense, like two guys who is in a lot of ways, we've talked about this on the show, Andy. In a lot of ways, Luca is a LeBron prototype offensive in terms of the rebounds. He's the closest thing in this offensively. He's the closest thing in this league to LeBron. Right, without the sheer athleticism that LeBron provides. But he is that guy. So now you have two of those dudes along with Austin Reeves, as still as a playmaker and a guardian,

played very well over the course of this season in that role. I, you know, you can see what the possibilities are here. But really, this is a trade for the Lakers. It's a trade for this year, I guess, next year. But you're really, you're looking past, obviously now the AD era. You're looking really past the LeBron era too to say, this is going to be our star. It was always assumed that the star when LeBron left would be AD, and then you'd figure out who to backfill with after that.

The Lakers, rather shockingly to me, got off of AD before LeBron. Like the assumption was always it was AD's team next. Nobody saw that coming the other way. At some point, we got to do a couple reads here. We can, you know, whenever you're ready, we can do that. But like, what do you think about that? Because, like, I, the Lakers, Cleba is hurt, correct? I don't think he's going to play this year.

And he's been terrible anyway. So, like, he doesn't do anything. But this from Mark Stein, Luca Donchich was targeted. a February 8th return again, somewhere pretty close to when AD is presumed possibly to come back from from his injury. A February 8th return from his calf strain sources say, but long-term concerns about conditioning are said to have factored into Dallas's shocking change, of course. Now Anthony Davis will partner with Kyrie Irving and the Lakers have their heir to LeBron

James. So again, more concerns from Dallas's side about a guy coming back. and being able to play effectively, essentially without getting hurt again. Now, this, by the way, too, like this is something we'll talk about more at line. We're going to talk more at length about blank coming up. But per Dave McMeneman, let me double check this now in the age of insanity that this is accurate, but I want to make sure, yeah, we're going to do some reads in just a second. but let me read this now and then I'll double check that it's accurate.

LeBron James learned of the Davis-Danchage trade after the Knicks game when it broke while he was out to dinner with his family. Sources close to James told the ESPN, James was surprised by the news, is processing it and had no idea it was in the works. Apparently this came together. Every report says this came together incredibly quickly. Right.

I was going to say, obviously, it goes without saying that moves like these are generally run past your, and I'm confirming now, this is from Dave McMeneman's Twitter account. It's not from at Nick 11. Yeah, I mean, well, do you blame us for being? We didn't go live. We mentioned the top of the show.

We didn't go live for 20 minutes because we need to see it on TV first. But like, it is unheard of to make a move like this. By all accounts, LeBron and AD had a great professional and personal relationship. It's pretty damn unheard of to make a move like this without talking to your superstar first. Like case in point, when the Lakers traded Lamar Odom, we were, you know, we were covering the team there. We were in the middle of that. Kobe was, to put it mildly pissed. like angry. I got my head bit off by Kobe because I asked him a question he didn't like regarding it.

He didn't like my phrasing of it. And he was livid about that. So it is I can understand like, look, sometimes you just have to do these things. And like if you feel like this is my chance as a franchise to make this sort of move, you just have to do it. And again, it is, you know, it is Luke Donchich. but it is very, very unorthodox to make a move like this without consulting your franchise, face, future retired number, possible statue guy, you know, all time, all time scoring leader, all time, all the records, yada, yada, yada, yada. Like, it just speaks to how unexpected on all counts this was. I will say this and then we'll break.

come back because we're not done. It is not surprising to me just because I don't think this is sort of the exception to that because if you're going to do this, it needs to be done. You either, you just, you know, apparently it was, it was run by coach, owner, and GM. Everything after that, especially since this is really a move for after LeBron, not to make LeBron have this is not an appease lebron in the now kind of deal this is we got it you know this is moving past that so hopefully lebron is okay with it you know for the rest of this year for next year because i don't think lebron's going anywhere but if not i guess that's the next piece of this is figuring it out

and and and doing it so let's let's let's um let's take a quick break and we will come right back we're going to first let people know on the fly that locked on lakers is brought to you by game time and i love attending live music live sports concerts all comedy all sorts of stuff like one of the favorite memories i had of 2024 was going to new york ironically the place where the lakers played and we're possibly not bringing you a post game show from it we did it we're still going to invoice the network. Lakers won. Lakers won on Saturday.

But I saw Hamilton with my family. My daughter met the cast. It was really awesome. And if you love doing stuff like that, game time is the place to go because they make it easier to find tickets. The apps all in pricing shows the total cost up front with no surprise fees of the checkout. Take the guesswork out of buying tickets with GameTime. Download the GameTime app, create an account.

Use the code locked on MBA for 20 bucks off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, create an account, redeem the code L-O-C-K-E-D-O-N-N-B-A for $20 off. Download game time today. What time is it? Game time. Locked-on Linkers also brought to you by prize picks. Basketball season, Andy, it's heating up.

Heating up basketball season is, as you may have noticed, very hot right now. And there's no better way to get in on the action than with prize picks. The best way for play space for daily fantasy sports with over 10 million members in billions awarded. Winnings prize picks makes it easy and fun to turn your sports knowledge into real money. You just pick more or less on at least two player projections. And if you're right, you can win up to a thousand times or cash. Best part, prize picks keeps it simple. You can set your line up in less than 60 seconds. And their fast, secure withdrawals mean that you get paid quickly even when you win. Plus, their Taco Tuesday promo gives you discounted player

projections for even more value. Check out the promos tab to tail any of these super sweet milly winners, big game updates. If you tail a lineup that goes three for three, you can win a split of a million dollars in promo funds. Download the app today. Use code Locked on NBA to get $50 instantly after you play your first $5 lineup. That's code locked on NBA for $50 instantly after you play the first $5 lineup prize picks

run your game. Anyway, back to it. Seemed, by the way, a few people questioning the idea of, you know, of course LeBron was in on it. Like, there's no way he wouldn't have known. It's obviously possible that LeBron was in on this and, you know, it's just being kept super tight insofar as making sure you maintain plausible deniability if you're LeBron, all that stuff. The reason, though, that it is believable beyond the fact that Brian said, he's correct, that like if you want to do something like this, you have to do it often quickly before it starts getting to the stars in question, you have a big old mess on your hands. But also, too, from the Lakers' perspective, as much as obviously they don't want to piss off LeBron,

the Lakers are an organization that never wants to piss off superstars, as we say all the time, they're maybe the most star-effer franchise in all of sports, much less the NBA. If you're going to make a sort of move like this without talking to your older superstar, it's because you think you're about to get your superstar for the next 10 years. and that is one of the only times where you will risk alienating the current superstar because this may be your one chance to get the young guy that sets you theoretically for a decade. That's how it happens. Yeah.

And look, this is a great deal for AD. All the reports breaking out, not that you would expect differently that he is excited. He gets to play. When Derek lively is healthy, he'll play next to lively. He right now will play next to Daniel Gaffer. He is going to be their powerful. Who said Rob Polinko would never allow him to be a power forward? just wasn't with this team.

Exactly. But he gets his wish. Rob kept his word. Kyrie with AD and the supporting cast they've got around there is not that we need to focus on it here, super underrated aspect

of this for the Mavericks is picking up Max Christie. I am sort of low-key as annoyed by them trading Christie and saddened by them trading Christy as I am the AD part. It's like losing Christie is a big deal. It is a sneak lakeers team. Sneaky big part of the deal.

It's sneaky big. And it's going to have a major effect on what the Lakers are trying to do. And I'm trying to figure out the hard part is the now. It's like is the what does this mean for this team now? the future stuff like you know looking up claba is on the hook for 11 million dollars the lake just had foot surgery though he's done he's not play but he's on the he he is he is salaried for uh 11 million dollars next year and then he's off their books um so that cleans up things it's a shorter contract than christie um and uh marquisive morris i do not believe is

guaranteed beyond this year that would be very strange to me I'd be sort of surprised if he's guaranteed for all of this year. He may not. And he's all like the Lakers could, they might need him. Yeah, he's an unrestricted free agent. I didn't think to look that up. I felt fairly safe there. So, you know, Luca is, you know, the mechanics of the Lakers,

whenever he's, he's got an option, is an option for next year. He's extension eligible this offseason. whatever it is and whenever he can sign money, he will sign it. The Lakers will offer him the max, and he will choose when he wants to do these things. Is this a trade, Andy, do you think where the Lakers are essentially punting on their possibilities for this season

in order to set them up, not necessarily even for next season, but for just whenever LeBron is done? You understand what I'm asking here? It's like, they are nine games over 500. They just beat the Knicks in one of their best games of the season. they're in the top six. You have Anthony Davis coming back.

There were reasons to believe that this team could at least make, we're going to talk about this on Monday. Could make a little bit of noise in the first round, second round maybe, not a team you wanted to play. This puts all of it into questions. We have no idea what this team is, or even when it's going to look like by the day, I guess we'll know by the deadline if they're still trying to win this year

because they'll go out and get something else. I think punting is too strong. I think that's way too strong, just in the sense that you are getting Luca Donchich. Like, Lakers did. not salary dump Anthony Davis. Like to me, to say that they are punting would be too strong when you're bringing in Luca.

And also, too, punting is too strong in the sense that the Lakers were still a team that even if you're feeling good about them, you're not sure if they have necessarily the potential to get out of the second round unless they have either a really good draw or they get a few breaks. We've talked a lot about how we think this is a good team. They have not had always the consistent showing of a great team and that they've often lacked the upside of a great team and the talent of a great team, which, you know, bringing in Luca is, it's a different type of talent than Anthony Davis. You know, it's, I mean, you'd be hard pressed to find two more different players in the league maybe than Anthony Davis and Luca Donchich.

But make no mistake, you are still bringing in, you are importing a high degree of talent. Oh, yeah. It's really a question of how quickly can it come together? And if in your heart of hearts, you thought, okay, we're looking like a good playoff team, but we don't really think we can win a championship anyway unless so much much breaks our way, then I don't know if you're so much punting as you are just getting ahead of what may come next while hopefully still remaining competitive. Right.

And I will say the more, God, this is, this is way, way different. Like the other big, like big things, I remember a few fourth of Julys ago when, when the Lakers traded for Steve Nash and like ruined the barbecue because they had to go back to work. like this is this work there's so many levels and layers to this and thinking about it the part that I am kind of like only it's like what about this there's this risk there's out AD's like you know best defensive center like that you know all of this stuff offense defense the combination the Lakers just acquired Luca Donchitch yeah like it is while Luca is one of those guys who has reached a point in his career.

And I'm not trying to downplay the, the fitness issues. They are really big and they matter. And if he can't stay in shape, this is going to be like a, you know, potential albatross around the franchise's neck. But if he can, if he, you know, I'm not talking about he's got to become like Mr. Fitness, but like if he, you know,

does what he is, what the Mavericks seem to think he was unwilling to do. If he gets real mad and does those things. The Lakers have a top five player in the league. I mean, Luca Donchich gets the flack that he does in part because he is so stunningly good that the expectation is, okay,

go lead your team to everything. You know what I'm saying? You understand what I'm getting at. Okay. You know what this reminds me of in certain respects? Shack with the Lakers. Like the dig on Shaq was always, always he does not care enough to get his absolute maximum potential because he refuses

to commit to the conditioning, which became really, really pronounced alongside somebody like Kobe, who was as committed an athlete to his craft as quite literally any that ever lived, much less whoever played in the NBA. And, you know, obviously there are there are some differences in the sense that, you know, prime Shaq was quite literally unstoppable as opposed to Luca in his prime who's just insanely incredible. Like, you know, Shaq was a true one-of-one type force and he was alongside Kobe still entering his prime. But I was just thinking about it, like in terms of the Lakers with a superstar, with transcendent talent, that you have to be concerned about commitment on some level. The first thing, it just popped in my mind.

It reminds me a bit of what they went through with Shaq in a lot of ways. I, yeah, I certainly can see the parallels. I mean, the thing about this trade that makes it so stunning, and I think the reason why... But less we forget, by the way, Shaq was three championships. Like, you know, pain in the ass, but there was a lot worth it. I think the reason that both of us were like, one of the first things is like, what do they know that the Lakers don't? Because what the Mavericks are doing here, make no mistake. Look, they get Anthony Davis, who is great.

Mavericks fan is like, you know, maybe you haven't watched him every game. Like Anthony Davis is awesome. And he is going, especially on a team like that, playing with Kyrie, playing next to a, you know, a center in Gafford, like the rim, a good rim protector in Gap, like, and angry. You're going to be real ticked to the Lakers for this is going to be phenomenal. And, you know, the level, you know, he's going to raise up the defense and all that kind of stuff. you get Max Christie, who's a great, and the 29 pick, which is a really valuable pick around the league. I think the reason that we were so stunned by this in part was because nobody ever trades a 25-year-old perennial MVP candidate, all NBA, basically every year of his career, ever. It does not happen.

Not without the player publicly asking. I want to go. And by all accounts, Luca did not ask for this. So I think it becomes like, well, this is so out of the ordinary that you're looking for the trick.

You're looking for the thing that tells you you're being played here, whether as an organization, if you're the Lakers or fans and people kind of talking about this trade. It's like, why? Because Luca, I understand the frustrations with him.

And he's not a good defender and all of this stuff. But he's one of the five best players in the NBA and he's 25 years old. You could argue he's one of the three best players in the NBA in his 25 years old. And so that part, if you're the Lakers, I mean, I can see absolutely 100% can see the argument of, yeah, it makes this season a little weird. It's, you know, we got a lot of. of questions. But if somebody says it's the it's the basketball a version of Ghostbusters, if somebody asks you if you're a God, you say yes. If somebody offers you Luca Donchich, you say yes,

and you figure out the other stuff afterwards. I mean, it both feels like if somebody offers you Luca, you say yes. If somebody offers you Luca, you say why? You know what I mean? Like both of those things feel totally accurate because it is totally fair for the Lakers to say, are you kidding? Do not hang up the phone and drop the papers and get Adam Silver on the horn ASAP. And it is also fair to say, what? Okay, seriously, Nico, Harrison, the guy who runs, Navs, go F yourself because you're clearly trying to get one up over us. You guys as an organization is still mad about the Odom trade. I would have thanked there are 1,600 people watching this on our first live show ever.

Again, we promised everybody if the Lakers ever traded for Luca Donchich, we would go live. And here we are. We're men of our words. There's a lot to think about, a lot more to unpack. We're going to stop here. I don't know. We might come back. I'm not sure.

But we're going to stop here, pause, wait for a little bit more information to come out. Maybe do it. Certainly we'll come back tomorrow for Monday. Thank you so much to new people who are tuning in, maybe from the Mab side of things, following Luca over here again. Hello, Slovenia. And this is just crazy. And we are excited to be able to talk about it.

Zadravo to our new Slovenian fans. Zadravo. That's apparently hello. I hope you pronounce that correctly. Zedravo. Again, I hope. The effort is there. And, you know, there's just so much to think about here, but I will say this.

The idea of Luca and LeBron playing together sounds really cool. Yes, it does. It really does sound exceptionally cool. But I can see why JJ Redick wants to do this. So we'll see everybody maybe later, maybe before Monday. I don't know, but we'll see you soon. Thanks a lot. Lockdown Lakers on YouTube is where you go hang out, like right now, with over 27,000 subscribers, maybe a few more now.

Sign up for the newsletter where you can get more information about this stuff. We'll see everyone soon.