The Lakers were always in the hunt for stars, and this offseason is no different. The latest rumor that the team is eyeing Mavericks star Luka Doncic may have been surprising to some, but it also comes with the territory of having championship expectations. One former Laker—who knows a thing or two about winning rings—recently advised the franchise against trading for the five-time All-Star.
Ex-Lakers Champion Warns About Trading for Luka Doncic
Former Player Takes Shots at Doncic
On a recent episode of his podcast, “Big Shot Bob,” seven-time champion Robert Horry was asked about the rumors connecting Doncic to the purple and gold, and responded:
“You gotta think about this…He ain’t the best defensive player now. That’s the Lakers problem. You’ve gotta have some athletic guys that can play some defense. Luka, he can score with the best of them, but we also know you gotta take beers out of his hand because he ain’t the one that [stays] in shape. He [is] gonna be good, but he ain’t gonna be what you need, probably.”
Doncic—who finished third in MVP voting—is currently under contract for three more seasons and is owed nearly $138 million in that span. Last season, the 2024 scoring champion averaged nearly 34 points and 10 assists per game on .487/.382/.786 splits and led Dallas to their first NBA Finals appearance since 2011. There is currently no indication that Mark Cuban and Nico Harrison are hoping to blow up the team—especially not after the newfound success—but the rumor has certainly sparked conversations in NBA circles.
Are Horry’s Criticisms Valid?
Horry brings up solid points when evaluating Doncic against the Lakers’ needs. While he has averaged north of 20 points per game in every season of his career, Doncic has historically been a defensive liability. Those woes were exemplified during the NBA Finals, highlighted by him fouling out in a pivotal Game 3. For a Lakers team that has struggled with point-of-attack defense—in part, due to injuries to key players—adding a one-sided superstar in Doncic won’t help them on that end of the floor.
But while Doncic hasn’t beaten the criticism of his defense, he has leaped above the concerns about his athleticism. Doncic has previously said he’s “athletic in different ways” and that, “Not everything is about jumping and running fast.” His basketball IQ was also evident in a recent interview with former teammate and—ironically—the Lakers’ current head coach, JJ Redick.
Part 2 of our Luka teaser…
JJ: How much do you practice the full speed to the decel?
Luka: I didn’t practice that.
JJ: You’re a sick f*ck.pic.twitter.com/ONSNdsg0g1
— Jason Gallagher (@jga41agher) February 8, 2024
The founder of the Peak Performance Project (P3), Dr. Marcus Elliot, has affirmed Doncic’s statements through metrics, stating that the Mavs star was the most impressive athlete P3 has assessed:
“Our athleticism metrics have him off the charts and nobody thinks he’s an athlete. Luka jumps lower than your average NBA guard. He doesn’t jump very high, he doesn’t run very fast. But he stops better than almost any other athlete we’ve ever assessed.”
When looking at it from both perspectives, it’s clear that trading for Doncic is a double-edged sword for any team. Horry’s claims about Luka certainly hold weight, but Rob Pelinka and the Lakers may still see things differently.
For the Lakers: Is It Worth Trading for Luka?
Considering previous trade targets, Doncic may be the best candidate to join Anthony Davis in a potential post-LeBron James era. He’ll be 27 when his current deal expires and could look to re-sign beyond the $50 million player option on the table. In many ways, Luka Doncic is exactly what the Lakers are looking for: a young superstar who has the skills to lead a winning franchise.
However, it’s incredibly unlikely that the Mavericks move on from Doncic in a few years. They have already established a dynamic duo between him and Kyrie Irving and built a solid supporting cast around them—one that has been to the top in a remarkably quick period of time. The addition of Klay Thompson further signals their commitment to building a winning squad around the Slovenian superstar.
Still, it wouldn’t stop the Lakers from trying to land Doncic. In terms of trade assets, most of their players are signed through next season only, which is when LeBron has to decide on a $52 million player option. Without any sign-and-trade, they could match Doncic’s $46 million with some combination of the following: Rui Hachimura ($18.2 million), Austin Reaves ($13.9 million), Gabe Vincent ($11.5 million), Jarred Vanderbilt ($11.5 million) and Max Christie ($7.7 million). Those players, combined with any future first-round picks, will not be enough to woo Cuban and Harrison in the slightest. Plus, Doncic has remained committed to the Mavs just as they’ve remained committed to him. Unless Dallas somehow nosedives into a rebuild, Doncic will stay in the Lone Star State while the Lakers watch him from afar.
