Luka Doncic

Agent: Lakers Shouldn’t Have Failed Mark Williams’ Physical

February 20th, 2025 at 3:25pm CST by Rory Maher

In a statement released via Excel Sports Management (Twitter link), agent Jeff Schwartz pushed back on the Lakers‘ decision to fail his client’s physical.

The Lakers agreed to trade Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, their unprotected 2031 first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap to the Hornets for Mark Williams, but later voided the trade over “multiple issues” with Williams’ physical.

“The overwhelming sentiment, after conferring with multiple, nationally recognized doctors, is that the Los Angeles Lakers should not have failed Mark Williams on his physical.

“Mark was ready and able to play for them and should have been given that opportunity,” Schwartz said.

In his first game back with the Hornets following the nixed trade, Williams recorded 10 points, nine rebounds and two assists on Wednesday in a three-point victory over the Lakers in Los Angeles. After the game, he suggested the Lakers may have had buyer’s remorse over all the assets they gave up to acquire him, according to Mark Medina of Sportskeeda.

“I don’t know for them, if it was what they gave up or went into that reasoning. But I don’t think it was solely because of my physical,” Williams said. “I’ve been playing all year. And I think my minutes and production on the court speak for itself.”

As Medina notes, Williams missed the majority of last season with a back injury as well as the first 20 games of 2024/25 due to a left foot injury, but he has bounced back by posting some of the best numbers of his career this season, averaging 15.3 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 blocks per game in 24 appearances (25.2 minutes). The 23-year-old called the past few weeks “crazy” and “tough,” but he’s happy to be back with the Hornets.

“Obviously the last two weeks have been national attention. It’s not really something that happens very often,” Williams said. “So I think just the rest of the way being able to show the player that I am, I feel like I’ve been doing that all year and I’ll just try to continue to do that.”

Williams (return to competition reconditioning) and LaMelo Ball (right ankle injury management) are among several Hornets who will be sidelined for Thursday’s back-to-back against Denver, the team announced (via Twitter).

For the Lakers, Luka Doncic (left calf injury management) and Jarred Vanderbilt (right foot surgery management) will be sidelined for tonight’s back-to-back in Portland, while LeBron James (left foot injury management) is questionable (Twitter link via Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group). According to NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link), the Lakers are “pleased” with Doncic’s recovery progress and are confident he’ll soon be able to play both ends of back-to-backs.

Lakers Notes: LeBron, Doncic, Reddish, Paul

February 19th, 2025 at 5:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

LeBron James is listed as questionable for tonight’s contest as the Lakers resume their season against Charlotte, according to Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. James sat out Sunday’s All-Star Game, citing “ankle and foot discomfort.” He was able to practice on Tuesday, but the team is being careful not to aggravate his condition.

“It’s something that we managed all year and it was sore over the weekend,” coach J.J. Redick said after the practice session. “He was able to do most of practice today. But, like it’s been all year, like it’s a day-to-day thing. It’s just something that we’ve had to manage and we’ll continue to manage throughout the rest of the year.”

Lakers fans can expect to see more of Luka Doncic in his third game with L.A., Turner adds. Redick limited him to 24 and 23 minutes in his first two outings because he was returning from a calf injury, but the week off for the All-Star break has been beneficial.

“His minutes will be up (Wednesday),” Redick said. “I don’t think there is going to be any sort of restrictions going forward.”

There’s more on the Lakers:

Cam Reddish practiced on Tuesday for the first time since the trade that would have sent him to the Hornets was rescinded, tweets Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. Reddish had been away from the team due to the birth of his daughter. “We talked a little bit. I know he’s in a funky situation,” Dorian Finney-Smith said. “I’ve been traded. I’ve never been part of having to come back after that. It was part of the business. I know he’s just happy it’s all over with and he can get back to playing basketball.”
In a full story, Price identifies three trends to watch for the rest of the season: Doncic’s growing role in the offense, more reliance on small-ball lineups and the effects of lingering injuries to several players.
Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, who represents James and Anthony Davis, is the latest NBA figure to admit that the Doncic trade caught him completely off guard, saying in an interview with Pickup Hoop (Twitter video link), “99.9% of the time, I’m going to know what’s going on. The one time I didn’t was the one time we all didn’t. … I’m glad I didn’t know because it probably wouldn’t happened if you did know.”

Pacific Notes: Doncic, Lakers Offense, Suns Arena, Durant

February 18th, 2025 at 7:01pm CST by Dana Gauruder

With the shock of getting traded wearing off, Luka Doncic is eager to see how this Lakers season will play out. The time off during the All-Star break should have him at full throttle. Doncic averaged only 15 points in his first two games with the club after recovering from a calf injury.

“I think we can go very far,” Doncic said, per Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal (Substack link). “Obviously, (last week) I felt a little bit rusty, two games in after my injury—turnovers, missed free throws, so I’ve got to do way better.”

Doncic was encouraged that he had no health-related setbacks after playing two games.

“It’s good. Still getting back in rhythm,” Doncic said. “You can’t really practice that five-on-five stuff. It’s way different in the game, but I’m just happy to be back out there and trying to win and play games.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

With Doncic developing chemistry with LeBron James and Austin Reaves, the Lakers should become a top-three offense and aim for home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, Jovan Buha of The Athletic writes. He notes in that limited sample of back-to-back games against Utah, the Lakers scored 116.7 points per 100 possessions with Doncic on the court, higher than their season average. That could improve to the 120 points per 100 possessions range once Doncic settles in, in Buha’s estimation.
The Suns’ arena will be called PHX Arena on an interim basis as the naming rights go on the market, John Gambadoro of 98.7FM Phoenix tweets. The arena will be the host site for the 2027 All-Star Game. The franchise ended its naming rights agreement with Footprint.
Could Kevin Durant finish out his playing career in Europe? The Suns superstar didn’t dismiss the possibility during All-Star weekend. “I play in the NBA, but I also love watching the EuroLeague,” he said, according to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net. “Barcelona would be a great place. Monaco would be nice too. For now, I love Phoenix. I’m staying.”

Lakers Notes: LeBron, Luka, Center, Vanderbilt, DFS

February 17th, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Asked at All-Star weekend whether the the Lakers‘ acquisition of Luka Doncic might affect his timeline for retirement, star forward LeBron James neither confirmed nor denied that the opportunity to play alongside Doncic would prompt him to try to extend his career.

“I have not given it that type of thought,” James said, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “Just the excitement of being able to add a caliber player like that, a generational talent like that to our franchise, it’s something that’s given me energy. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do. … I think we could be really good going down the stretch. But we’ll see what happens.”

As McMenamin relays, James discussed a wide variety of topics during his 15-minutes press conference on Sunday, including Saturday’s dunk contest. LeBron said it would be “pretty cool” to see stars like Ja Morant and Giannis Antetokounmpo compete in the event, as they teased on social media on Saturday night, but he said he’s fine with the fact that it’s not something on his own career résumé.

“No, there’s no part of me that has regrets about not doing it,” James said. “Obviously, I had a couple moments where I wanted to do it, and it just never worked out that way.”

Here’s more on the Lakers:

There’s “no tangible dismay” from Doncic’s camp about the fact that the Lakers’ trade for Mark Williams – who was reportedly “handpicked” by Doncic – ended up falling through, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link). According to Stein, Doncic told Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka he understood the team might not be able to add a starting-caliber center until the offseason, and he was impressed that Pelinka and the front office nearly addressed that need just days after making their deal with the Mavericks.
Doncic has been on a minutes restriction since returning from his calf strain last Monday, playing between 23 and 24 minutes in each of his first two outings as a Laker. According to Stein, L.A. is expected to continue with that “measured approach” coming out of the All-Star break, with Doncic likely to play in just one of the club’s back-to-back games on Wednesday vs. Charlotte and Thursday in Portland.
Jovan Buha of The Athletic considers what the Lakers’ center rotation will look like for the rest of this season, writing that Alex Len‘s first game last Wednesday was “rough” and the veteran’s floor may be lower than initially thought. In Buha’s view, the team may end up having to rely more than it would like on small-ball lineups, especially in the postseason, with Jarred Vanderbilt and Dorian Finney-Smith among the candidates to see minutes at the five in that scenario.

Mavs Reportedly Never Intended To Offer Luka Doncic Super-Max

February 17th, 2025 at 2:05pm CST by Luke Adams

When word broke two weekends ago that the Mavericks were trading Luka Doncic to the Lakers, one theory quickly emerged — perhaps Dallas had learned Doncic would hesitate to sign the five-year super-max extension (worth a projected $345MM) that he would’ve been eligible to receive during the 2025 offseason.

Asked about that theory during his introductory press conference as a Laker, Doncic said he had “absolutely not” given the Mavericks any reason to believe he wouldn’t accept such an offer. Agent Bill Duffy echoed that message and said he’d expected to discuss a potential super-max deal with the team this summer.

Based on all that’s been reported in the past two weeks, it seems as if any hesitation over the super-max was on the Mavericks’ side, not Doncic’s. Christian Clark, Mike Vorkunov, and Fred Katz of The Athletic confirm as much within an in-depth feature on Dallas general manager Nico Harrison, reporting that Harrison and the Mavs were “never going to offer” Doncic that record-setting super-max contract.

We’ve seen potential super-max eligibility factor into teams’ decision to trade players in the past, but that typically occurred in instances where a club was concerned about having to pay big money to retain a second- or third-tier star — the Kings traded away DeMarcus Cousins in 2017 after consecutive All-NBA Second Team seasons, for example, rather than hanging onto him and having to make a decision on a super-max extension offer during the following offseason.

Doncic, on the other hand, has five consecutive All-NBA First Team nods under his belt and finished third in the MVP voting last season. Super-max contracts – which allow a player to earn a salary worth 35% of the cap before he has reached the required threshold of 10 years of NBA experience – were designed to reward superstars like Doncic and to put their teams in a better position to hang onto them.

But, as has been reported ad nauseam since word of the blockbuster trade broke, the Mavericks were concerned about making that sort of financial commitment to Doncic due to concerns about his injury history and work ethic. According to Clark, Vorkunov, and Katz, Harrison was worried about the possibility that Doncic’s body would “break down possibly sooner than anyone would suspect.”

If the Mavs had retained Doncic and declined to make him a super-max offer in the offseason, would he have been willing to accept something below the 35% max or would he have balked and looked to join a team that valued him higher? We don’t know for sure, but that uncertainty explains why Harrison said shortly after making the deal that he believes he and the Mavs avoided a “tumultuous” summer by trading Doncic when they did.

“There’s some unique things about his contract that we had to pay attention to,” Harrison said at the time. “There’s other teams that were loading up that he was going to be able to decide, make his own decision at some point of whether he wants to be here or not. Whether we want to super-max him or not, or whether he wants to opt out. So, I think we had to take all that into consideration, and I feel like we got out in front of what could have been a tumultuous summer.”

Harrison hasn’t spoken to the media since Doncic’s introductory presser as a Laker, so reporters haven’t had an opportunity to ask him about Luka’s comments on a potential super-max deal.

Doncic is no longer eligible for a super-max contract this summer with the Lakers as a result of being traded.

International Players Express Support For U.S. Vs. The World All-Star Format

February 17th, 2025 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

As the NBA searches for ways to revive interest in its All-Star Game, one concept that gets frequent mention is a U.S. vs. the World format. Several international players expressed their support for that idea after Sunday’s mini-tournament, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.

“I would love to. My opinion is that it’s more purposeful,” said Victor Wembanyama, who figures to be a regular at the All-Star Game for the next decade or so. “There’s more pride in it. More stakes.”

Nine-time All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo was even more enthusiastic about the idea in his post-game press conference.

“I would love that. Oh, I would love that,” he said. “I think that would be the most interesting and most exciting format. I would love that. For sure, I’d take pride in that. I always compete, but I think that will give me a little bit more extra juice to compete.”

As Reynolds points out, the NHL has been able to generate enormous passion by scrapping its traditional All-Star format and replacing it with the 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament. Saturday’s showdown between the U.S. and Canada in Montreal stoked an intense national rivalry and featured three fights in the first nine seconds of the game.

According to Reynolds, some NBA officials are watching the NHL’s success and considering how it could be adapted to basketball. There aren’t enough All-Star players from specific nations to divide them into four teams, but a matchup of American and international stars could create a fresh look for the annual showcase.

“Sometimes things just get old and kind of need a facelift,” Draymond Green said. “I know they’ve done different things to try to get it going. I think what’ll be interesting to see is how this 4 Nations thing turns out in hockey. If that turns out great, might have to peek an eye.”

Reynolds notes that this year’s rosters already feature six international All-Stars, with Wembanyama and Antetokounmpo joined by Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Pascal Siakam and Alperen Sengun. Luka Doncic would likely be there if not for the injuries have plagued him this season, and Reynolds points to Karl-Anthony Towns, who plays for the Dominican Republic in international competitions, as another addition.

However, filling out the World roster could mean adding a few players who aren’t as deserving of All-Star status. It would also take away four spots from American players, who make up roughly 70% of the NBA, which is why there’s reluctance to try it out.

“Not to say we couldn’t figure out a way around this, but to the extent we want to have a fair process for picking All-Stars, if you’re picking half the players from a 30% pool and the other half from a 70% pool, it might not be fair to the players,” commissioner Adam Silver said recently. “So, that’s one thing we’re looking at.”

Mavericks Notes: Doncic, Jokic, Welts, Armstrong

February 16th, 2025 at 3:24pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

By all accounts, now-Lakers star Luka Doncic was blindsided by his trade away from the Mavericks earlier this month. As Bennett Durando of The Denver Post relays, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, a longtime friend of Doncic’s, spoke about the five-time All-NBA First Teamer’s reaction to the surprising deal during his Saturday presser at All-Star media day.

“He was building something there,” Jokic said. “I think he was hurt… I think as a trade, it’s not such a big thing, but if you trade someone like that, I think it kind of becomes a little bit of a big thing, and maybe players become a little bit serious about it.”

There’s more out of Dallas:

New Mavericks CEO Rick Welts, seen across the league as a financial wizard, is stewarding this new post-Doncic era on the business side, according to Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News, who wonders if Welts’ decision-making can help Dallas fans eventually move beyond the front office’s bold recent transactions. “I thought I’d seen everything in my 47 years in the NBA, but clearly this was different,” Welts said. “I probably underestimated the reaction. I think we’ve done the best we can, basically, with the staff and trying to do the right thing with everybody who touches the Mavericks.” Welts had previously led business operations for the Steve Nash-era Suns from 2002-11 and the peak Stephen Curry-era Warriors from 2011-21. As we outlined on Saturday, he played a big part in building out the modern format of the All-Star weekend during his 17-year tenure as an NBA executive.
Mavericks assistant coach Darrell Armstrong was arrested in the early hours of Saturday morning for alleged aggravated assault with a weapon, reports Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal. Afseth adds that Dallas has placed Armstrong on administrative leave following the booking. “The preliminary investigation determined the suspect and victim were in an argument when the suspect hit the victim with a gun and threatened to shoot them,” the Dallas police department told Afseth. “The suspect and victim are known to one another. This remains an ongoing investigation.”
In case you missed it, All-Star Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving appears to have found peace in Dallas following rocky stints in Boston and Brooklyn.

Adam Silver Discusses Doncic Trade, Other Topics In All-Star Press Conference

February 15th, 2025 at 9:43pm CST by Arthur Hill

NBA commissioner Adam Silver was as surprised as anyone when news broke that Luka Doncic had been traded to the Lakers two weeks ago, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. At his annual All-Star Weekend press conference, Silver said he wasn’t given advance notice from anyone about the deal.

He also refused to second guess the Mavericks, who have received an enormous amount of criticism for parting with Doncic, especially from their own fans.

“I can say one thing for sure: Whether or not history will ultimately judge this as a smart trade, they did what they thought was in the best interest of their organization,” Silver said. “I have absolutely no knowledge or belief there were any ulterior motives, no doubt in my mind that the Dumont-Adelson families bought that team to keep it in Dallas. I have no doubt whatsoever that they’re committed to the long-term success of that franchise.”

Silver added that he’s “empathetic” toward Dallas fans who are upset about the deal, which looks even worse since Anthony Davis was injured in his first game with the team.

“Time will tell whether it was a smart trade,” Silver said. “But they should believe in their organization.”

Silver addressed several other topics during his meeting with reporters, according to Reynolds:

The Hornets contacted the league office after the Lakers rescinded their trade for Mark Williams, but Charlotte hasn’t filed a formal appeal. “Let’s see what Charlotte decides to do here,” Silver said. “But I think either way, it’s gotten our attention. We understand that in the back and forth of teams and trades that the extent we can reduce uncertainty, that’s a positive thing.”
The league is waiting for a response from Timberwolves majority owner Glen Taylor after an arbitration panel ruled in favor of Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez this week. Silver said he doesn’t see any reason why the sale of the team wouldn’t be approved, but he doesn’t want to speak for the Board of Governors. “I mean, that’s Glen’s decision to make,” Silver said. “I haven’t talked to him directly about that. I think, though, that A-Rod, certainly Marc Lore, are well-known to the league at this point. They’ve already been vetted and approved as minority owners. I think they understood that the league had no role in this arbitration. That was something they had agreed to as part of their purchase agreement.”
The league decided against a repeat of last year’s All-Star Weekend shooting contest between Stephen Curry and WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu, with Silver explaining, “Last year was so magical, that competition, that it started to feel forced. And I think there was concern from all of us that we just weren’t feeling it.”
Silver cited progress in the NBA’s television ratings, although he admitted that he’d like to see them higher. He added that the league measures its audience in several ways and is enjoying “record popularity” on social media.

Mavs Notes: Kyrie, Davis, Milic, Front Office

February 13th, 2025 at 8:09am CST by Luke Adams

It was a chaotic return home on Monday for the Mavericks — the team ejected several fans who expressed their displeasure about the Luka Doncic trade, lost a one-point thriller in overtime, and saw head coach Jason Kidd skip out on his post-game media session.

That context made Kyrie Irving‘s performance on Wednesday all the more impressive. As Tim MacMahon of ESPN writes, Irving racked up 42 points on 15-of-25 shooting and drew a crucial offensive foul on Jimmy Butler with 17 seconds left in the game, leading Dallas to a much-needed win over Golden State and giving the home fans a feel-good moment.

“That was special,” Klay Thompson said after the victory over his former team. “That was incredible — 42 and the defensive stop of the night. Yeah, that was incredible. Needed it bad, especially when I didn’t have my best shooting night. That’s our point guard, man. That was ridiculous.”

The shorthanded Mavericks – who had to start 6’7″ forward Kessler Edwards at center due to injuries to Dereck Lively, Daniel Gafford, Dwight Powell, and newly acquired star Anthony Davis – were going up against a Warriors club that had won back-to-back road games since Butler’s debut. Irving said the home crowd helped give the home team the spark it needed to pull out the win.

“Anytime you’re in a game like tonight and you’re looking for that energy, you look into the crowd, our fans, and you could drive yourself off that or get amplified, electrified off of that energy that’s in the crowd,” Irving said. “And it makes a big difference for us in in our home stadium. We got to protect it — our arena — and I feel like our fans know that. We’re obviously dealing with something unique, but at the same time we have to put our best foot forward.”

Here’s more on the Mavericks:

Although the Mavericks have yet to make an official announcement on how Davis’ adductor strain will be treated and how much time he might miss, NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter links) hears there has been “tangible optimism” in Dallas that the injury won’t require surgery. One source close to the situation tells Stein that the Mavs are still evaluating Davis’ recovery timeline and “will be cautious” about targeting a return date.
Marko Milic, who joined the Mavericks’ coaching staff in a player development role during the 2022 offseason, has stepped down from his role, sources tell Stein (Twitter link). According to Stein, Milic – who was the first Slovenian to play in the NBA – decided not to remain with the team following the Doncic trade.
Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (Substack link) calls out the Mavericks’ leaders for a lack of transparency and accountability, noting that the team still hasn’t publicly commented on its Caleb Martin trade, which needed to be amended to send a second-round pick to Dallas due to concerns about Martin’s physical. The front office also hasn’t responded to Doncic’s assertion that he “absolutely” didn’t give the team any indication he wouldn’t have signed a super-max extension offer during the 2025 offseason, Afseth adds.

Trade Deadline Leftovers: Bulls, Ball, Jazz, Luka, More

February 13th, 2025 at 7:40am CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls had a “firm offer” to acquire a first-round pick and take on future salary in a deal for Lonzo Ball at the trade deadline, a league source tells John Hollinger of The Athletic. K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link) backs up that report, suggesting he heard the same thing prior to the deadline.

Instead of accepting that offer, the Bulls opted to hang onto Ball and agreed to sign him to an extension instead. That two-year deal will reportedly be worth $20MM, with a second-year team option for 2026/27.

While it’s fair to question Chicago’s decision to pass on that reported trade offer, there are several missing details that would provide more context on just how strong the offer was. For instance, we don’t know how many years of salary the Bulls would’ve been required to take on, whether the first-rounder was heavily protected or likely to land in the late-20s, and whether other players or assets would have been included.

Johnson does provide one additional detail, tweeting that at least one of the scenarios he heard about would’ve required the Bulls to sent out a second-round pick along with Ball as part of the deal.

Here are a few more leftovers from last Thursday’s trade deadline:

Appearing on the local broadcast of Wednesday’s game vs. the Lakers (Twitter video link via Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal), Jazz general manager Justin Zanik suggested that Los Angeles was fortunate to land superstar guard Luka Doncic in a trade Utah helped facilitate. “(Lakers GM) Rob Pelinka even said it in his press conference introducing Luka, that it was a gift,” Zanik said. “I think that’s how a lot of my colleagues – I don’t want to speak for them – but how we all kind of felt.”
Zanik went on to say that he respects the Mavericks‘ front office and noted that Dallas received a “top-15 player” in his own right in Anthony Davis. He also expressed a belief that if the Jazz hadn’t been willing to serve as a facilitator, another team would have stepped in and snatched up the two second-round picks that went to Utah for taking on Jalen Hood-Schifino‘s contract. “If we were in the playoffs right now, I’d be asking both (teams), ‘What is going on?’ and ‘I’m not doing it,'” the Jazz GM said. “But where we are, the ability to pick up stuff basically for free, to do something another team would have done anyway (made sense).”
A panel of ESPN’s NBA reporters (Insider link), including Jeremy Woo, Bobby Marks, and Michael C. Wright, break down how seven lottery-bound teams’ moves at the trade deadline affect their outlook going forward. Addressing the Hornets‘ post-deadline plans, Marks notes that general manager Jeff Peterson will have to decide whether LaMelo Ball is still a foundational piece in Charlotte. As good as Ball has been when healthy, he has been limited to 91 total games since the start of the 2022/23 season and his impressive scoring numbers haven’t necessarily translated to wins.
Only five teams – the Trail Blazers, Magic, Nets, Nuggets, and Timberwolves – sat out the trade deadline entirely, not making any moves in the week leading up to the afternoon of February 6. Michael Pina of The Ringer takes a closer look at why those teams opted to stand pat and delivers a one-word verdict on each club’s inactivity, including “bizarre” for Portland and “commendable” for Orlando.

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