"He can replace LeBron James down the road" - NBA analyst uncovers Lakers & Mavericks' real intentions behind Luka Doncic-AD trade

As the NBA community recovers from the shockwaves sent by the LA Lakers's acquisition of Luka Doncic in a trade featuring Anthony Davis, all eminent names in the field have raised their opinion on the same, with Chris "Mad Dog" Russo the latest to enter the fray with an opinion of his own. Appearing on First Take, Russo shared his insights on what to expect from the trade while labeling LA as the winner of the recently concluded trade.

Russo, renowned for his hot takes, had a not-too-hot take on this instance, siding with the general perception that the Lakers had the better share of returns in the trade that sent Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a first-round pick to Dallas in return for Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris. The Lakers also gave away Jalen Hood-Schifino and second-round picks to the Utah Jazz to facilitate the deal.

Chris Russo opined that LA had already chosen their successor to LeBron James and that trades for superstars of Luka's caliber have rarely gone wrong historically.

"Any time you can get this type of player who is six years or five-and-a-half years younger than Anthony Davis, LA which is full of stars, that sells in that market, he can replace LeBron down the road when LeBron retires in a year or two," Russo said about the Doncic-Davis trade. "He's not perfect because you got to wonder a little bit about the conditioning issues - but this is a great trade for the Lakers."

"Most of the time, if you look at the history of the NBA, when the team acquires the great player - think Lakers with Kareem - most of the times the team that acquires the great player wins out on the deal," Russo added, declaring the Lakers as the winners of the trade.

The Lakers' history of acquiring superstars in trades is rich and embedded with championship storylines. As Russo pointed out, with Doncic, LA seems to be trying its best to improve the roster around LeBron James for the present while also keeping an eye on succession planning for the eventual retirement of the 40-year-old star.

As Chris Russo stated, a championship win in 2025 is unlikely. However, the future in Los Angeles just got much brighter with Luka Doncic donning the famous purple and gold.

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Luka Doncic's Lakers debut can be as early as next week, according to reports

Per reports, Luka Doncic is working on an injury rehabilitation timeline for his calf strain to get him back on the court by next week - or at least before All-Star Weekend. The Lakers lack a center and decent big man depth and are unlikely to craft a championship-quality roster for 2025. But they have some flexibility to retool and improve immediately and for the long run after not having to give up as many assets as one would expect to acquire Luka Doncic.

As Chris Russo points out, the history of superstars traded to the purple and gold side of LA turning out to be duds is rare. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Anthony Davis himself, Pau Gasol, Bob McAdoo and Wilt Chamberlain form the illustrious list of player trades preceding Doncic. This bodes well for the Slovenian star in a historical context and could inspire hopes that he will be the next great Laker.

Protests in Dallas outside the American Airlines Center to the Luka Doncic trade. (Credits: Getty)

While the team is under pressure to contend immediately in LeBron James's timeline, the Lakers may now relax just a bit, knowing that they have the player who can receive the keys to the franchise and handle the responsibility without any hassle secured for what could be a long time ahead.

Dallas has lost its franchise player, much to the ire of fans worldwide, and LA may just have set itself up for the future in a way that was unimaginable until Saturday night. As Russo called it, this seems like a trade the Lakers won and every sign so far points towards it.