What Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis Lakers-Mavs trade means for LA Clippers

Yesterday at 05:27 PM

While Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers were out of town on their four-game road trip, their crosstown rivals in the Los Angeles Lakers facilitated the most shocking trade in NBA history. The Lakers traded Anthony Davis, and Max Christie the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris.

The blockbuster trade sent shockwaves throughout the world, from the sports world to everyone outside of it. While the move has both incredible short-term and long-term ramifications on the Lakers and Mavs, the future of the entire Western Conference has now changed.

With the LA Clippers in a contending position in the short-term, but also a team that hopes to maintain flexibility in the long-term, how does this Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade between the Lakers and Mavericks affect them?

What Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis Lakers-Mavs trade means for Clippers

Before we jump into the Clippers’ side of things, let’s start with what each team involved in the trade is looking at both right now and in a couple of years.

The Los Angeles Lakers had been rolling out the same duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis for half a decade now, but the front office has struggled to surround the team with pieces good enough to contend for an NBA Championship.

After Davis’ interview with ESPN’s Shams Charania where the big man publicly requested a center once again, the Lakers did just that. Just… not on their team.

While there are still some moves that could be made, trading Davis to the Mavericks more than likely takes the Lakers out of championship contention this season. The duo of LeBron James and Luka Doncic features two of the very best all-around offensive players of the last 20 years, but the team has to now construct around the future that is Luka Doncic.

With James expected to retire within the next year or two, the Lakers’ trade for Doncic effectively gets them the face of their franchise for the next generation.

The Dallas Mavericks did the unthinkable, trading away their 25-year old franchise superstar and getting a 31-year told Anthony Davis, a solid young piece in Max Christie, and… just one first round pick in 2029.

It’s a very puzzling move that has fans in Dallas absolutely irate and ready to give up their fandom, despite the number of General Manager Nico Harrison’s explanations for making the deal now, out of the blue, by only contacting one team, and getting a return that many consider questionable or underwhelming.

The Mavericks are hoping to contend for a championship now with a team led by some of the best No. 2’s of recent championship teams: Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, and Klay Thompson. Will they succeed? Probably not. GM Harrison believes defensively is where the Mavs needed to make the biggest jump, and in a league that continues to lean more towards floor spacing and shooting, the Mavs now employ three centers in Davis, Daniel Gafford, and Dereck Lively II.

And now on to the Clippers’ side of things.

After three heated first round playoff battles against one another in four seasons, it’s safe to say that Luka Doncic and the Clippers do not want to see each other any more than they already have to. As if Lakers-Clippers contests weren’t already fiery, now the two sides will now face off a guaranteed four times as Pacific Division rivals in Los Angeles.

Doncic has been out since Christmas with a calf strain the Mavs were extremely cautious with. The five-time NBA All-Star was expected to return sometime around the All-Star break, and Doncic’s father even said recently the guard/forward has been ramping up towards a return.

With two contests between the Clippers and Lakers after the All-Star break, we won’t have to wait long to see Doncic suit up against the team he averages 32.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game against in the regular season.

Also, let’s just think about the starpower in the Pacific Division now. Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Stephen Curry, and, on a tier below those, Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine.

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When the Clippers decided to let Paul George walk in free agency, many were shocked at the idea of letting a former All-Star go without trying to get something back for him. But the team had a plan in place to remain competitive while maintaining long-term flexibility if he re-signed, or to bring in complementary pieces in place of George to place around James Harden and Kawhi Leonard.

While the Clippers are certainly pursuing a championship this season and will do everything possible to win it, they also have eyes on the future. With most of their assets still outgoing, the team has tried to maintain cap flexibility heading into the summer of 2026 ahead of the 2026-27 season.

As of right now, the NBA’s salary cap is projected to jump from $140.6 million this season to around $170.1 million for the 2026-27 campaign, and the Clippers currently have just seven players signed through that summer totaling $108.6 million.

The Lakers landing Luka Doncic in this weekend’s trade would lead most to assume that he’d re-sign with them at least once, exploring his championship possibilities with the purple and gold, and take him off the Clippers’ list of players to target.

No one expected the Mavericks to move on Luka Doncic this quickly, especially not after an NBA Finals appearance. Despite the lack of defensive effort at times and the rumored issues with his conditioning, Doncic is an all-world talent who is likely a top five player in the NBA right now with a chance to finish as one of the greatest players of all time.

The Clippers have positioned themselves to be a free agent destination or in the running for any disgruntled star who asks out via a trade. Whether that actually materializes is another thing, but the franchise, backed by an innovative and hungry Steve Ballmer, is positioning themselves to be a landing spot for big-name players.

As it stands, the summer of 2026 could potentially be a big one depending on who does or doesn’t sign an extension. Players like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Fred VanVleet, Kyrie Irving, De’Aaron Fox, CJ McCollum, and Jaren Jackson Jr. are all expected to hit unrestricted free agency in 2026 while Luka Doncic, Trae Young, Zach LaVine, Damian Lillard, and Bradley Beal all have player options to decide on.

In the summer of 2027, players like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, Nikola Jokic, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Donovan Mitchell all have player options to decide on while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be unrestricted and could test free agency.

For now, the Doncic-Davis trade just makes the Clippers’ pursuit of a championship that much more interesting. Both Dallas and L.A. will likely need more moves to reach contender status, but both teams are set up for success.

The summer of 2026 will be the biggest thing to watch with the Clippers, especially depending on what players decide to do once they become extension eligible or have options for the final year of their deals.

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