The Lakers were always in the quest for stars, and this offseason is no different. The newest speculation that the team is chasing Mavericks star Luka Doncic may have been surprise to some, but it also comes with the territory of having championship hopes. One former Laker—who knows a thing or two about winning rings—recently urged the organization against trading for the five-time All-Star.
Ex-Lakers Champion Warns About Trading for Luka Doncic
Former Player Takes Shots at Doncic
On a recent episode of his podcast, “Big Shot Bob,” seven-time champion Robert Horry was asked about the speculations connecting Doncic to the purple and gold, he responded:
“You gotta think about this…He ain’t the best defensive player currently. That’s the Lakers dilemma. You’ve gotta have some athletic players that can play some defense. Luka, he can score with the best of them, but we also know you gotta take beers out of his hand because he ain’t the one that [stays] in shape. He [is] going be good, but he ain’t gonna be what you need, probably.”
Doncic—who finished third in MVP voting—is now under contract for three more seasons and is owed almost $138 million in that span. Last season, the 2024 scoring champion averaged over 34 points and 10 assists per game on .487/.382/.786 splits and led Dallas to its first NBA Finals berth since 2011. There is currently no sign that Mark Cuban and Nico Harrison are hoping to blow up the team—especially not after the unexpected success—but the notion has undoubtedly generated conversations in NBA circles.
Are Horry’s Criticisms Valid?
Horry brings up solid points when comparing Doncic against the Lakers’ needs. While he has averaged north of 20 points per game in every season of his career, Doncic has always been a defensive liability. Those troubles were emphasized during the NBA Finals, highlighted by his fouling out in a key Game 3. For a Lakers team that has struggled with point-of-attack defense—in part, due to injuries to key players—adding a one-sided superstar in Doncic won’t help them on that end of the floor.
But if Doncic hasn’t vanquished the criticism of his defense, he has jumped past the doubts about his athleticism. Doncic has previously said he’s “athletic in different ways” and that, “Not everything is about jumping and running fast.” His basketball IQ was also clear in a recent interview with former teammate and—ironically—the Lakers’ new head coach, JJ Redick.
The inventor of the Peak Performance Project (P3), Dr. Marcus Elliot, has verified Doncic’s comments with analytics, noting that the Mavs player was the most outstanding athlete P3 has assessed:
“Our athleticism metrics have him off the charts and nobody thinks he’s an athlete. Luka hops lower than the average NBA guard. He doesn’t jump very high, he doesn’t run very fast. But he stops better than practically any other athlete we’ve ever assessed.”
When looking at it from both viewpoints, it’s evident that trading for Doncic is a double-edged sword for any team. Horry’s claims regarding Luka obviously hold weight, but Rob Pelinka and the Lakers may still view things differently.
For the Lakers: Is It Worth Trading for Luka?
Considering previous trade targets, Doncic may be the finest prospect to join Anthony Davis in a future post-LeBron James era. He’ll be 27 when his current deal expires and could want to re-sign beyond the $50 million player option on the table. In many respects, Luka Doncic is precisely what the Lakers are searching for: a young superstar who has the qualities to head a winning club.
However, it’s highly improbable that the Mavericks move on from Doncic in a few years. They have already developed a dynamic combo between him and Kyrie Irving and constructed a great supporting cast around them—one that has been to the top in a remarkably brief amount of time. The arrival of Klay Thompson further underlines their ambition to creating a successful club around the Slovenian superstar.
Still, that wouldn’t stop the Lakers from trying to land Doncic. In terms of trade assets, most of their players are signed until next season only, which is when LeBron needs to decide on a $52 million player option. Without any sign-and-trade, they could equal Doncic’s $46 million with some combination of the following: Rui Hachimura ($18.2 million), Austin Reaves ($13.9 million), Gabe Vincent ($11.5 million), Jarred Vanderbilt ($11.5 million) and Max Christie ($7.7 million). Those players, paired with any future first-round picks, will not be enough to attract Cuban and Harrison in the slightest. Plus, Doncic has remained dedicated to the Mavs just as they’ve remained committed to him. Unless Dallas suddenly nosedives into a rebuild, Doncic will stay in the Lone Star State as the Lakers watch him from afar.
