The Los Angeles Lakers continued to play their best basketball of the season, winning their sixth of their last seven games and their eighth in their last 10 contests on Saturday by defeating the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden by a final score of 128-112. The Lakers won that game despite not having Anthony Davis.
LeBron James scored 33 points while also chipping in with 11 rebounds and 12 assists, continuing to prove to be an ageless wonder. Fittingly, LeBron opted to enjoy a nice dinner after Saturday's win with his family in New York. What happened at that dinner is something he, and the rest of the NBA world could not have possibly imagined.
Possibly the most shocking trade went down shortly after Los Angeles' win, with the Lakers trading Davis, a ten-time All-Star, to the Dallas Mavericks in a deal that sent Luka Doncic to Hollywood. Of course, that trade, which LeBron had absolutely no idea was even in the works, went down while he was enjoying this dinner with his family.
LeBron James learned of the Davis-Doncic trade after the Knicks game when it broke while he was out to dinner with his family, sources close to James told ESPN. James was surprised by the news, is processing it and had no idea it was in the works, sources said.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 2, 2025
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LeBron James found out about the Luka Doncic trade at the wildest time possible
Chances are, LeBron wouldn't have been ready to process this news regardless of where he was, but it must have been incredibly awkward for him to find out while at a nice dinner with his family. It's hard to imagine the thoughts running through his head.
On one hand, the Lakers traded Anthony Davis, his co-star who played a pivotal role in the team's NBA title back in 2020. Davis was a teammate of LeBron's on the Lakers, with Nike, and with Klutch Sports. Watching a player and friend like that get traded seemingly out of nowhere is really hard to process.
On the other hand, the Lakers acquired Luka Doncic. It's not as if the Lakers traded Davis for a bunch of draft picks - they traded him for a player who could and probably should be seen as even better than Davis is. An argument can be made that the Lakers are better positioned to win it all this season with Doncic than they were with Davis, especially if they make a trade for a center to replace Davis on their roster.
LeBron saw the Lakers trade a superstar and close personal friend of his, but they traded him for a player who might be an even bigger superstar and might help him win that elusive fifth title. Again, it's a lot to process, especially when out at a dinner after a thrilling win. Hopefully, LeBron can find a way to process this blockbuster before Los Angeles' next game on Tuesday.