How the Luka Doncic Trade Turned the Lakers into Contenders

We are one month removed from one of the most shocking trades in NBA history and the biggest trade at the 2025 NBA trade deadline. Just past midnight on Feb. 2, the Lakers made a blockbuster deal trading for Luka Doncic, and traded center Anthony Davis to the Mavericks.

This was the first time in NBA history that two reigning All-NBA players were traded for each other midseason. And a trade that sent shockwaves across the NBA and sports world.

Since the trade, the Lakers have transformed into one of the hottest teams in the NBA, and look like legitimate contenders, with the second best record in the Western Conference. Let’s dive into more analysis and the results of the trade so far below.

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What Have The Lakers Done Since the Luka Doncic Trade?

The Lakers remained busy at the trade deadline as they nearly made another trade that would have solidified their future at the center position when they made a move for Hornets center Mark Williams that involved rookie Dalton Knecht. The move was originally applauded as a win-win deal for both parties with the Lakers getting their center of the future, and the Hornets receiving draft capital and a young sharpshooter in Knecht.

The trade was rescinded due to Williams failing his physical, which caused the Hornets to fail to satisfy the condition of the trade. The Lakers kept Knecht, Cam Reddish, and their future picks due to this, and remained with Jaxson Hayes as their starting center.

Since the trade, the Lakers are an astounding 11-2. They started off 3-0 in games where he was still recovering from his calf injury before adding a win on his team debut against the Utah Jazz.

Their two losses shockingly came at the hand of the Jazz in Utah, and their makeup game against the Charlotte Hornets, which was originally postponed due to the Los Angeles wildfires. 

What’s Working for Luka and the Lakers

Honestly, a lot has been working for the Lakers since the trade, with only two losses and currently holding the second seed in the Western Conference.

What’s most impressive so far with the Lakers is their improvement in defense. There were talks of how the Lakers would worsen defensively by trading away one of the best defensive anchors in the game in Anthony Davis. Plus, there was talk that one reason for the Mavs moving was his liability on defense. 

The Lakers have stepped up big time, and the health of their key defenders such as Jarred Vanderbilt and Dorian Finney-Smith have helped as well. The Lakers have seen pretty much all their defensive metrics improve in their 13 games with Doncic. 

Defense isn’t the only improvement the Lakers have made. The Lakers are now shooting more threes per game and have improved on their average points per game since the trade. Their offensive philosophy has changed now with Luka, who is a much more versatile offensive player compared to Davis.

Let’s take a look at their key improvements below from pre to post-trade, all of which have improved, some more significantly than others.

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• Opponent Points Per Game: 112.3 (12th) to 107.1 (2nd)
• Defensive Rating: 114.1 (21st) to 107.6 (2nd)
• Opponent Field Goal Percentage: 47% (20th) to 42.6% (1st)
• Opponent Three-Point Percentage: 35.7% (13th) to 31.9% (2nd)
• Rebounds Per Game: 41.4 (28th) to 46.8 (6th)
• Points Per Game: 112.2 (17th) to 116.5 (14th)
• Offensive Rating: 113.9 (12th) to 117.1 (10th)
• Three-Pointers Made: 12 (27th) to 14.4 (10th)
• Three-Pointers Attempted: 33.7 (27th) to 40.7 (7th)
• Net Rating: -0.2 (16th) to 9.5 (5th)

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What Isn’t Working For Luka and the Lakers

While the Lakers look like a powerhouse in the West, Doncic himself has struggled to find his shot so far with the Lakers, although it’s beginning to pick up so far in March. 

In seven February games, Doncic averaged 21 points on 37.3% shooting and 24.1% from 3-point range. It was nearly two months since Doncic had played a game when he first donned a Lakers uniform in game, but you could tell he was off in his shooting approach.

March has been a welcome turn of the calendar for Doncic though as he gets back into game form, averaging 30.5 points per game on 50% shooting and 44% from three in two games this month. 

Another area where the Lakers need to improve is their turnovers. The Lakers had the sixth fewest turnovers per game before the trade. At the moment, they’re top-10 in turnovers since the trade. They will need to clean this up as their schedule seriously toughens up over the next 10 games, then into the NBA Playoffs.

What’s Next For Doncic and the Lakers?

At the time of writing, the Lakers are set to have nine games against teams that are in the top six of their respective conference — the first real test after the Doncic trade. They start this stretch with games against the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics, who are second and third in the Eastern Conference respectively. 

They will have four games against their biggest contenders for the No. 2 seed in the West. They will play the Nuggets twice, then close out the month against the Grizzlies and Rockets. This 15-game stretch will be telling for the Lakers to see if they can keep up with their many improved metrics with Doncic against the cream of the crop in the league.

It will also give us a better idea as to whether the Lakers are legitimate contenders to come out of the Western Conference after the Doncic trade.

This 11-2 start with Doncic has gotten Lakers fans excited as they have rocketed up to No. 2 in the West. However, in this run, they’ve only faced two teams who are comfortably in the top six of their respective conference standings (Pacers and Nuggets). 

They’ve also faced the likes of the Warriors, Clippers, and Timberwolves who have hovered around .500 all season and have yo-yo-ed between a top-six spot and the Play-In Tournament. The Lakers competition has been average at best and will take a steep jump the rest of the month.

For now, it may be best to temper expectations until we see more. We’re about to see what the Lakers are really made of following the Doncic trade. 

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Come back to the Playbook throughout the remainder of the NBA season for more basketball analysis for your PrizePicks and NBA DFS Lineups.