The Los Angeles Lakers shocked the world by trading for Luka Doncic and many fans cannot wait to see his first game with the franchise. But what some may not remember is that Doncic is currently injured and has not actually played in a game since December 25.

Thursday night is a moment for NBA fans to witness their favorite personal matchup one more time, LeBron James vs. Steph Curry. No individual rivalry in the NBA

Christie and nine-time All-Star Anthony Davis were sent to Dallas in a blockbuster trade on Sunday that featured the Lakers landing Luka Doncic. Shipping out the franchise’s cornerstone player led to the Mavericks (26-25) being criticized for the deal but Christie adjusted well on the fly while Davis didn’t play on Tuesday due to injury.

The team added Luka Doncic, Mark Williams, Dorian Finney-Smith and three other players over the past six weeks, deals that appear to have short- and long-term benefits.

The most consequential NBA trade deadline is finally over and boy was it a busy one. Not only did we have blockbuster deals involving massive names like Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis and Jimmy Butler, we also had a bunch of much smaller deals.

However, the present-day Lakers' roster still needed to be refined if the organization was serious about chasing a title in 2025. While the Lakers now had an abundance of scoring power in the James-Doncic duo, the team lacked a notable frontcourt and quality defense.