Ron Jenkins/Getty Images
Los Angeles Lakers fans may not have to wait long to see Luka Dončić take the court.
After Shams Charania reported late Saturday night that Los Angeles acquired Dončić in a trade that also saw Anthony Davis heading to the Dallas Mavericks, the ESPN reporter appeared on SportsCenter and said the newest Laker hopes to return to the floor before the Feb. 16 All-Star Game.
“Luka Dončić has been returning to basketball activities since that calf injury that he had, the calf strain,” Charania said. “He’s had multiple calf strains over the last several years. He’s had two calf injuries just this year. But he has returned to practice and, from what I’m told, the goal is for him to make his Lakers debut before the All-Star break.”
Dončić hasn’t played since the Mavericks’ Christmas Day loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Notably, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported one of the reasons Dallas decided to trade the superstar was “because of his constant conditioning concerns” that those within the team saw as “a major factor in his injury issues.”
According to that report, his five-game absence in November was to focus on conditioning even though he was listed as out with a sprained right wrist.
Yet Davis is someone who has struggled staying on the court throughout his career as well. He is currently sidelined by an abdominal injury and has played more than 62 games in a season just once since the 2017-18 campaign.
Whether they both can stay healthy down the stretch run will impact how this trade is viewed in hindsight.
That Dončić could be back in the next two weeks is surely welcome news for the Lakers, who will need all the time they can get to adjust to his presence. After all, his 31.9 percent usage rate is sixth in the league among those who have played more than 20 games this season, per NBA.com.
James checks in at 29.2, so they will need to find a way to coexist on the court together to maximize their incredible talent.
And they will reportedly have a chance to do just that before the All-Star break, which would also mean Dončić was on the floor for the Feb. 25 showdown against his former team when the Mavericks come to town.
