“The Trade,” as NBA fans and media now refer to it — the deal that sent 31-year-old Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks for 25-year-old, five-time first-team All-NBA shooting guard Luka Dončić, who joined the Los Angeles Lakers, has not yet proven to be advantageous for either team.
After participating in only one game in Dallas, Davis sustained an adductor injury — previously known as a “groin pull” — which is now anticipated to keep him out for “multiple weeks,” lacking a specific return date.
On the Los Angeles end of the agreement, Dončić still faces difficulties due to a left calf strain that caused him to miss 27 of the Mavericks’ 49 games prior to his trade. The NBA Rookie of the Year for 2018-2019 remained sidelined, missing his initial three games as a Laker before participating in a two-game matchup against the Utah Jazz on February 10 and 12. However, Dončić only participated for 23 minutes in each of those matches.
Further Unfavorable Updates for Lakers Regarding Coveted New Addition
Now, more troubling news for the Lakers as they reveal that Dončić will be sidelined for at least one additional game despite returning from a week of rest. Dončić was not selected as an All-Star for the first time since his debut season. He appeared to relish his holiday, sharing a photo on social media that looked like him enjoying All-Star game footage on a laptop while unwinding by the pool at an undisclosed resort.
Although it seems he should be adequately rested for the Lakers’ home game against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, the team has now announced that he will miss either that match or the game the next night when the Lakers head to Portland, Oregon, to play the Trail Blazers.
In his initial two games with the Lakers, Dončić has been limited to under 25 minutes, and the team is likely to maintain this cautious strategy as the 25-year-old continues his recovery after sitting out his last 19 games as a Maverick due to a left calf strain suffered on Christmas Day, according to NBA insider Marc Stein’s Monday newsletter.
It is still uncertain when the Lakers will fully capitalize on Dončić’s presence with Lebron James. And now, in additional unfortunate news, after James withdrew from Sunday’s All-Star event at the last moment due to “ankle and foot discomfort,” as reported by correspondent Sam Amico of Hoops Wire, “some in the NBA indicate they’ve been given the impression the problem isn’t precisely trivial.”
James’ injury brings up the troubling chance that the Lakers might miss both James and Dončić for several games. However, a report from The Athletic on Tuesday provided even more troubling information for the Lakers, suggesting that by trading Davis for Dončić, Los Angeles might have been taking on an issue that Dallas was just exhausted from managing.
Dončić Apparently Adopts Relaxed Attitude Toward Fitness
The report indicated that a potential reason for the extended absences of Dončić is that the Ljubljana, Slovenia, native does not adequately tend to his physical health. The Athletic stated that the Mavericks had become annoyed with “Dončić’s fitness and off-court behaviors.” In one case, in November, the Mavs sidelined their volatile, young superstar for five consecutive games due to a reported “right wrist sprain.”
Nevertheless, as stated in the publication, “that injury classification was not completely accurate.” According to team sources, Dončić was actually meant to utilize his time off to enhance his fitness.
Ultimately, Mavericks executives grew increasingly worried “that Dončić’s body might deteriorate potentially earlier than anyone would imagine,” prompting them to conclude they needed to “part ways with someone who could still potentially become a league MVP.”
They sent Dončić to Los Angeles, making his relaxed attitude toward fitness the Lakers’ concern now
.