The Dallas Mavericks stunned the NBA world when it was revealed that they were the ones that initiated the blockbuster Anthony Davis-Luka Doncic swap that shook the roots of the league on Saturday night. From the Lakers' perspective, saying yes to Doncic is a no-brainer, but losing Davis still is a big blow to the front court and the defense.

Even while the Lakers will miss a lot of what Davis brought to the table, that doesn't mean that they weren't a little bit relieved to move on from the partnership. If he had stayed in Los Angeles, a contract dispute may not have been far away for the veteran star according to Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports.

“Davis is under contract until 2028, with a player option for the 2027-28 season, but he’s extension-eligible after next year,” Goodwill wrote. “And even though he’s been as healthy and as productive on both ends of the floor since his first year in Los Angeles — and a prime candidate for Defensive Player of the Year the last two seasons — the Lakers were not going to extend his contract. He’ll be 36 entering the 2029-30 season.”

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Investing another max contract, which is certainly what Davis would have wanted, would have been a big risk for the Lakers. Davis has been exceptional throughout his time with the Lakers and has been healthier over the last two years, but he still is aging into his thirties and has a long injury history that would potentially scare the Lakers' front office away from an extension.

This move was surely made with the future in mind. Clearly, the Lakers didn't want to enter a world after LeBron James retires where Davis is the face of the franchise, and now they don't have to. Instead, the 25-year old Doncic is now poised to lead the Lakers for the next decade or so as they enter the next era of the team.

In the immediate future, the Lakers will be an interesting team to monitor both in the coming days and over the rest of the season. They should be prowling the trade market in search of another big man to come in and bolster the rotation. Doncic and James are kind of a wonky fit together, but the two of them have the talent and the basketball IQ to make it work.