On Saturday evening, arguably the most shocking trade in NBA history went down when the Los Angeles Lakers traded a package centered around Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for MVP candidate Luka Doncic. The move secured the Lakers' future after the LeBron James era ends, even if it gives them a bit of an awkward fit in the short-term, and added to the long list of stars who have worn the purple and gold throughout NBA history.

One player who knows about being traded to the Lakers in a high profile scenario is Pau Gasol, who won championships alongside Kobe Bryant in 2009 and 2010 as a member of Los Angeles.

Recently, Gasol took to his account on X, formerly Twitter, to welcome Doncic to the City of Angels.

“Welcome to LA, @luka7doncic!” wrote Gasol in his post, alongside purple and gold heart emojis, quote tweeting a post from the Lakers welcoming Doncic to the team. “Excited to see you in purple & gold. The Lakers family is special—enjoy the journey and make history!”

A shocking trade

Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) and Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) in action during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers at the American Airlines Center.
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Related Los Angeles Lakers NewsArticle continues below
Lakers forward LeBron James (23) celebrates his game winning shot
LeBron James’ MVP voting finish leaves Lakers fans in awe
A shadowy player in a LA Lakers jersey in the middle. Have LA Lakers player LeBron James on one side and LA Lakers player Luka Doncic on the other, starting center trade
The starting center Lakers must acquire after Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle shaming

Heading into Thursday's NBA trade deadline, most of the more high profile speculation around the league surrounded players like Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat and De'Aaron Fox of the Sacramento Kings, both of whom had made their interest in finding greener pastures known publicly.

There was little to no indication that the Mavericks were on the brink of doing something as drastic as trading their 25 year-old MVP candidate, and Lakers fans certainly didn't think that a wild evening was only beginning when their team knocked off the New York Knicks in prime time.

Now, the Lakers pair Doncic next to the player he's so often been compared to, LeBron James, in what will be one of the most unique duos in NBA history.

In losing Davis, the Lakers no longer have any viable options at the center position, so it certainly wouldn't be a surprise to see the team look to part with the first round pick it was miraculously able to keep in the Doncic trade to scour the trade market for a center.

In any case, Anthony Davis' return to Los Angeles will take place on February 25.