The Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to the Lakers on Feb. 2 in what immediately became one of the most surprising trades in NBA history. Doncic was a fan favorite in Dallas and had taken the franchise to the NBA Finals against the Celtics just last year.
The Mavericks faithful were rocked by the decision and have since had several protests against the team including outside of the stadium and chanting “Fire Nico” (The GM, Nico Harrison) during games. Part of the reasoning behind the trade was that he got them back Antony Davis, Max Christie and a first round pick in 2029.
Also, there were concerns over Doncic’s conditioning. He was recovering from a calf strain suffered on Christmas Day, but the issue stems from years of the perception that the guard never really tried that hard to stay in great shape. He was just naturally gifted at basketball and the team likely wanted him to put in my work to get in better shape, which he didn’t do.
Whatever the exact reason, Doncic is now wearing purple and gold. It is a new team for the guard and he is coming off an injury, but overall he hasn’t looked for himself. Here’s a look at what is wrong with Doncic and how it has effected him over his recent games.
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What is wrong with Luka Doncic?
Doncic joined a Los Angeles team with LeBron James, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura. There were going to be some adjustments needed for him to get up to speed on how the team operates and making sure that he fit. Still, it was uncharacteristic how middling his first games in Los Angeles were.
Doncic tends to throw up plenty of shots per game, but he hit fewer than 15% of his shots beyond the arc in two of the games and looked far removed from the triple-double threat we have come to expect from him.
With his return from injury, he looked sluggish running up the court on fast breaks. It could be the concerns that Dallas had about his conditioning mixed with his wanting to take it slow from the calf injury that sidelined him over a month.
Head coach JJ Redick has noticed that Doncic hasn’t been himself.
“I want at least one blackout episode where he’s screaming indiscriminately at no one in particular because he’s excited. That means he’s back. That’s the Luka I know. The killer.” – JJ Redick on Luka Doncic pic.twitter.com/OewLL2VPvj
— Pikkit (@pikkitsports) February 23, 2025
Luka Doncic recent stats
Here is how Doncic has played over his last eight games. The most recent four have been with the Lakers and the other four were his final ones with the Mavericks before the trade.
| Date | Opponent | Pts | Reb | Ast | Blk | Stl | Fouls | Minutes | FG % | 3P % |
| 2/22 | at Nuggets | 32 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 31 | 45.5 | 44.4 |
| 2/19 | vs. Hornets | 14 | 11 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 33 | 27.8 | 11.1 |
| 2/12 | at Jazz | 16 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 23 | 46.2 | 37.5 |
| 2/10 | vs. Jazz | 14 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 24 | 35.7 | 14.3 |
| 12/25* | vs. Timberwolves | 14 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 55.6 | 60.0 |
| 12/23 | vs. Trail Blazers | 27 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 30 | 52.6 | 14.3 |
| 12/15 | at Warriors | 45 | 11 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 38 | 69.6 | 54.5 |
| 12/10 | at Thunder | 16 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 40 | 33.3 | 25.0 |
*Sustained injury in final game with Mavs
MORE LUKA DONCIC TRADE NEWS:
Lakers upcoming schedule
Doncic will see familiar faces as the Lakers take on the Mavericks in his first game against his former team since the trade. Here is who the Lakers play over their next ten games.
| Date | Opponent |
| Feb. 25 | vs. Mavericks |
| Feb. 27 | vs. Timberwolves |
| Feb. 28 | vs. Clippers |
| Mar. 2 | vs. Clippers |
| Mar. 4 | vs. Pelicans |
| Mar. 6 | vs. Knicks |
| Mar. 8 | at Celtics |
| Mar. 10 | at Nets |
| Mar. 13 | at Bucks |
| Mar. 14 | at Nuggets |
