Los Angeles Lakers star guard Luka Doncic is in the process of completing his first full season with the franchise.
The five-time All-Star was hit with likely the most shocking news of his NBA career nine months ago; the Dallas Mavericks agreed to trade him to the Lakers for Anthony Davis.
On Friday, an NBA Insider revealed new post-trade details regarding Doncic that should frighten the rest of the NBA.
“I mean, the wounds might not be fresh, but there are definitely scabs,” The Athletic’s Dan Woike stated.
“Every time a Doncic highlight gets posted or whenever Doncic mentions the Cowboys or the Mavericks — like he did in Oklahoma City when a reporter asked him about Harrison’s firing — I see there are still feelings there.”
“When the Lakers played Dallas last season, Doncic looked like someone who had stumbled into the wrong locker room and put on the wrong jersey.”
“This year, he looks like he belongs on the Lakers. He has real bonds with players, real relationships with staff members, and an actual sense of belonging with the city.”
Essentially, while Doncic was the Lakers’ leading scorer last season despite only appearing in 28 regular-season contests (he averaged 28.2 points per game), it was easy to tell that something was off.
Doncic was outspoken about his love for the Mavericks before the blockbuster trade, frequently stating that he was fortunate to be part of the growing organization.
However, when Dallas shipped him to the Lakers in February, Doncic felt betrayed, affecting his ability to fully embrace a Los Angeles franchise clearly fond of his generational offensive capabilities.
Now that Doncic has had time to not only decompress but also build chemistry with his Lakers teammates, he’s succeeded in starting the 2025-26 season on a historic note (after the Lakers’ 108-106 win over the Utah Jazz last Sunday, Doncic became the first player to record 400+ points and 100+ assists through 12 games).
The 26-year-old has also guided the Lakers to a 13-4 record thus far, and considering he’s just getting started in Los Angeles, the sky is the limit for him and the surging Lakers (which is bad news for everybody else)
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