Fans have been wondering for a few years now when the next big move for the Los Angeles Lakers would be. On Saturday night, general manager Rob Pelinka made it happen when he traded Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a first-round pick in 2029 to the Dallas Mavericks for Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris. The Utah Jazz were also involved in the deal.

Of course, the trade took the NBA by storm as everyone around the league, including fans, tried to figure out how it got to this point. Immediately after the deal was done, Rob Pelinka had to make a couple of calls to let his team know about the blockbuster, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

“After the Lakers and Mavericks agreed to the deal late Saturday night, Rob Pelinka made three calls in quick succession, sources told ESPN: a joint call with Anthony Davis and JJ Redick; a call to Davis' agent, Rich Paul; and a call to LeBron James,” McMenamin reported on X, formerly Twitter.

Both teams look drastically different now after one of the biggest trade deadline moves in the history of the league, and one that absolutely nobody saw coming. The Lakers are now set up to remain competitive in the Western Conference whenever James is done playing, and the Mavericks will make a championship push with Kyrie Irving and Davis.

Article Continues Below
More Los Angeles Lakers News
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James warms up before the start of a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center.
Lakers’ LeBron James doesn’t hold back on clout-chasing trainersRichard Pereira ·
Miami Heat forward LeBron James (6) and guard Mario Chalmers (15) reacts in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena.
Mario Chalmers’ wild LeBron James club story stuns Shannon SharpeLorenzo J Reyna ·
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) celebrates with Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) during the fourth quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center.
Lakers’ LeBron James exquisitely breaks down what makes Luka Doncic specialZachary Weinberger ·
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) celebrates with Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) during the fourth quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center.
Lakers’ Luka Doncic makes mind-blowing admission about LeBron JamesTroy Finnegan ·
Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) defends on the court in the second half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena.
Lakers rumors: Rival exec makes ‘no doubt’ Bronny James predictionJackson Stone ·
NBA former player Robert Horry shoots during the 2013 NBA All-Star shooting stars competition at the Toyota Center.
Kobe Bryant-Shaq Lakers championship teammate makes Hall of Fame pitchJackson Stone ·

The most surprising part of the deal is the Mavericks' willingness to trade Doncic, who is still just 25 years old and is not even a year removed from taking this Mavericks team to the NBA Finals. The Mavericks wanting to move off of Doncic is a truly unprecedented move in NBA history and could come back to haunt them in the future.

On the Lakers' side, Doncic is an interesting fit next to LeBron James, and Los Angeles now desperately needs to go get another big man before the trade deadline to fill out their front court, which is now very shallow. However, despite their ball-dominant tendencies, having Doncic and James on the court together will make the Lakers a headache for anybody to guard and could turn them into at least a dangerous team in a playoff series.

On top of that, flipping the 31-year old Davis for a 25-year old star like Doncic extends the Lakers' title window into the next decade, even when James retires. Now, Pelinka can start building the next version of this team around Doncic as he looks towards the future.