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'A good show': Cavs react to shocking trade pairing Luka Doncic with Akron's LeBron James
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- 'A good show': Cavs react to shocking trade pairing Luka Doncic with Akron's LeBron James
CLEVELAND — Akron native LeBron James has a new running mate in Los Angeles , and not even a creative, entertaining individual like Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson could have scripted it.
As Thompson watched "Seinfeld" in bed Saturday night, he received a message from Cavs point guard Darius Garland alerting their group chat with friends about the blockbuster trade between the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks .
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The Lakers landed star guard Luka Doncic , pairing him with James through a shocking deal. The Mavericks received star center-forward Anthony Davis from LA, making him a one-two punch with another Cavs icon, guard Kyrie Irving .
Neither Davis nor Irving (right shoulder soreness) played Sunday as the Cavs (40-9) demolished the Mavs 144-101 .
LeBron James and Luka Doncic are set to team up on the Los Angeles Lakers.
After the blowout, Thompson spoke to the Beacon Journal and another media outlet in Cleveland's locker room about the Doncic-Davis trade .
Thompson explained he initially thought ESPN NBA Insider Shams Charania had been hacked on social media when a tweet from his account broke the news.
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"You think it was fake just because the reality of, like, not even about AD," Thompson said. "That's bro. AD's amazing. Hall of Famer. You could run off the accolades. But it's more so, like, the Luka Doncic point. He had it made, tailored exactly to his liking, so it would've seemed from the outside in Dallas, right?"
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Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (13) goes for a rebound against Dallas Mavericks forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper (8) on Feb. 2, 2025, in Cleveland.
Cavs expect 'a good show' from LeBron James and Luka Doncic
James, 40, has won four NBA championships since he graduated from St. Vincent-St. Mary High School and entered the league with the Cavs in 2003. He joined forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh for back-to-back titles with the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013. James had Irving and Kevin Love with him when the Cavs won it all in 2016. James and Davis earned rings together with the Lakers in 2020.
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Well, what should the league expect from a James-Doncic tandem?
"A good show," Cavs forward Evan Mobley said.
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) is guarded by Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic on Nov. 1, 2019, in Dallas, Texas.
A member of Cleveland's 2016 championship team, Thompson knows James better than anyone else who's with the 2024-25 Cavs.
"What I always said about Luka's game is he's kind of like the Caucasian LeBron, minus the athleticism, but maybe a better trey ball, a more consistent knockdown trey ball," Thompson said. "So give a little to gain something else, right? But, I mean, s***, at the end of the day, you just add this to LeBron's long, long, long storybook.
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"Now he's playing with another Hall of Famer who'll bring something different to the table. We had obviously Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh and Kyrie and K-Love and Anthony Davis. Now you add Luka Doncic to the story, and we'll see what happens with it."
Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) drives to the basket past Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) on Dec. 12, 2023, in Dallas, Texas.
Will the Luka Doncic trade boost the Los Angeles Lakers ' chances to contend for NBA title this season?
When an NBA organization stuns virtually everyone in the league the way the Mavericks (26-24) did by moving Doncic, a 25-year-old player who has been voted first-team All-NBA five times, other wild scenarios no longer sound as far-fetched.
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For instance, could the Doncic-Davis deal lead to another title for the Lakers (28-19), the storied franchise ultimately trading James or maybe even both? James has a no-trade clause and doesn't intend to waive it in the aftermath of the Lakers shipping Davis to the Mavericks, NBA journalist Chris Haynes first reported. The league's trade deadline is 3 p.m. Thursday.
"I think it puts everybody in the NBA on edge that anything can happen," Mavericks guard Dante Exum said.
The Oklahoma City Thunder (38-9) are still considered the favorites in the Western Conference, but does the deal make a Cavs-Lakers clash in June's NBA Finals more realistic? Doncic and Irving led the Mavs to the Finals last season, when they fell to the Boston Celtics in five games.
Count Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson among those whose interest has been piqued by the James-Doncic pairing.
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"I just love seeing great players. I love seeing great players play together," Atkinson said. "I mean, for the fan, it's fascinating, it's interesting, a positive thing for the league. And then you say, 'How about AD and Kyrie together?'
"It's fun. What makes it a great league [is] that great players can team up, and [everyone] can see how's that going to work, how long is it going to take to take off and all those [questions]. I'm a coach, and I'm part of the league, but I'm a fan, too."
Luka Doncic dribbles while guarded by LeBron James during their game on Dec. 12, 2023, in Dallas.
Mavericks GM Nico Harrison and coach Jason Kidd speak about the Mavs trading Luka Doncic before their loss to the Cavaliers in Cleveland
The trade created a bizarre scene at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, where Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison accompanied coach Jason Kidd to his usual pregame media availability and addressed the news in a visiting team interview room packed by reporters.
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Harrison said the Mavs believe defense wins championships and touted Davis' abilities on both ends of the floor. Harrison also told the Dallas Morning News what the Cavs have done with Mobley and center Jarrett Allen is what he envisions for the Mavericks as Davis joins centers Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II .
Harrison explained he worked exclusively with the Lakers on the trade and Doncic's contractual situation was a factor. Until the trade, Doncic had been eligible to receive a five-year, $345 million supermax extension from the Mavs during the upcoming offseason.
"[Doncic] was going to be able to decide, make his own decision at some point of whether he wants to be here or not, whether we want to supermax him or not or whether he wants to opt out," Harrison said. "So I think we had to take all that into consideration and feel like we got out in front of what could have been a tumultuous summer."
Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) in action Dec. 12, 2023, in Dallas, Texas.
Kidd said he learned about the trade "at the eleventh hour, so right before it was announced." James also reportedly didn't know about it ahead of time. Kidd added he was "in shock" when he found out.
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Thompson felt the same way as he alternated between watching Kramer and Costanza's shenanigans and peeking at his group chat involving Garland.
"They said it's the first time in NBA history two first-team All-NBA guys get traded midseason," Thompson said. "So, I mean, obviously that's pretty big."
What's next for James will also inevitably be pretty big because his storybook is one for the ages.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: What Cavs see as Luka Doncic trade gives LeBron James new running mate
