The Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks both saw their futures get radically changed over the weekend when Luka Doncic headed to LA.
Who came out on top in this incredible, stunning trade?
According to Chris Russo, the Lakers were the winners in the Doncic deal.
Speaking on “First Take,” he said that Doncic can replace LeBron James in a few years and is currently in his prime.
Meanwhile, Russo isn’t so sure about the combination of Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving, who are both aging and likely won’t win a championship.
There are valid concerns about Doncic and his conditioning, Russo said, but this will ultimately work out well for the Lakers.
“He can replace LeBron down the road when LeBron retires in a year or two.”@MadDogUnleashed thinks the Lakers won this trade but still won’t win the NBA Championship. pic.twitter.com/7xglw8t0gd
— First Take (@FirstTake) February 3, 2025
Russo said history shows that when the Lakers make a big move like this, it always pays off.
Acquiring Doncic was perhaps the largest trade of this generation, and it could immediately impact the Lakers and their chances of going far into the postseason.
There are worries because they are now without a reliable big man since Davis is in Dallas.
But the front office still has time to fix that before the trade deadline this week.
Speaking of front offices, Russo thinks Dallas’ general manager wasn’t in charge of the Doncic deal.
He believes the team’s owners decided to cut ties with Doncic because they didn’t like his physical problems and weren’t eager to sign a new deal for him soon.
Regardless of who thought up the trade, it shook up the entire NBA world and people are still talking about it.
Now it’s time to wait and see who becomes a better team because of it.
NEXT: Stephen A. Smith Makes Bold Statement About Mavericks After Big Trade
