The next era of Los Angeles Lakers basketball could begin as early as Saturday, when coach JJ Redick says Luka Doncic could make his debut for the Purple & Gold.
Doncic participated in his first practice with the Lakers since joining the team in a stunning trade with Dallas last weekend. The Slovenian superstar hadn’t played for the Mavericks since he strained his left calf on Christmas Day.
Doncic won’t play when the Lakers open a three-game homestand against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night, but last season’s NBA scoring champion has a good chance to return when the Lakers host the Indiana Pacers on Saturday or the Utah Jazz on Monday night.
‘We’re kind of just assessing it day by day,’ Redick said. ‘We hope to have him back within the next few games. We just had noncontact practice today, but we got some good work in for about 45 minutes, and he’ll have a stay-ready game at some point over the next two days.
‘He’ll have some more opportunities to play live basketball, and then we’ll make a decision on Saturday,’ he added. ‘If it’s not Saturday, hopefully it’s Monday. [But] those decisions will be made on Saturday.’
The NBA’s broadcasters were paying attention: Shortly after Redick spoke, ESPN announced it would televise the Pacers-Lakers game on Saturday, bumping a Jazz-Suns game.
Doncic watched from the bench on Tuesday as LeBron James led a 122-97 win over the Clips
From left, Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura, guards, Bronny James and Luka Doncic react on the bench during Tuesday night’s win over the rival Los Angeles Clippers
Doncic watched from the bench at Intuit Dome on Tuesday night while LeBron James led a 122-97 blowout of the Clippers for the Lakers’ ninth victory in 11 games.
James is still coming to grips with the trade of Anthony Davis, his close friend and teammate for 5 1/2 years, but already sounded excited about forming a new partnership with Doncic, his self-described favorite NBA player.
Doncic participated in 5-on-5 work in his first Lakers practice. He ended the workout on the court chatting with Redick, James, assistant coach Scott Brooks and forward Dorian Finney-Smith, who was Doncic’s teammate in Dallas for 4 1/2 seasons. Finney-Smith joined the Lakers shortly after Christmas in a trade with Brooklyn.
‘Even though I don’t like the way things went down – I feel like he definitely should have got that money – but I’m happy he’s on my side now,’ Finney-Smith said.
Finney-Smith also laughed at the Mavs’ reported concerns about Doncic’s conditioning and weight.
‘I know him, [and] he wants to play the whole game,’ Finney-Smith said. ‘I think like he played 40 minutes every game last playoffs. That’s one thing about LD. He wants to play. I don’t really look at the noise. I look at his production. If I´m putting up those kinds of numbers, maybe I should be 270 [pounds].’
Doncic did not push for a trade, according to long-time NBA insider Marc Stein . Rather, Stein reports, the two sides were headed towards that five-year, $345 million extension until Saturday. And as sources have since revealed to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, the Mavs ‘had major concerns about moving forward with Luka Doncic due to his constant conditioning issues.’
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic walks to the court before Tuesday’s game in LA
Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, one fan reacted to seeing Anthony Davis instead of Luka Doncic
Unfortunately for Doncic, he’s no longer eligible for that extension, according to former Brooklyn Nets assistant general manager and current ESPN salary cap analyst Bobby Marks. What’s more, Doncic and his $43 million salary now go from Texas, where there is no state income tax, to California , where rates can go as high as 12.3 percent. For now, he remains signed through the 2025-26 season and has a player option for 2026-27.
Whenever Doncic gets back on the court, Redick doesn’t think he will have many problems adjusting to playing alongside James in the Lakers’ schemes on both ends.
‘The biggest learning curve is just the language,’ Redick said. ‘He knows basketball. He knows it at a high level. We use a lot of the concepts that he used in Dallas, which a lot of teams use. We haven´t reinvented the wheel or anything. We are trending in the direction of playing really intelligent offensive basketball, and then you add in Luka, who´s a supercomputer on the court, who can see everything and has seen every coverage, every defense, it adds another layer for sure.’
A 6-foot-8 point guard from Slovenia, Doncic guided the Mavs to the NBA Finals alongside Kyrie Irving last season but has never shaken criticism about his conditioning. Still, he finished third in last season’s MVP voting and is still considered among the best offensive talents in the game.
Doncic, who has played professionally in Spain, is currently engaged to longtime girlfriend Anamria Goltes. The son of Sasa Doncic, a basketball coach and former player, and Mirjam Poterbin, a former model and salon owner, Luka has $152 million in career earnings.
