Suns’ Booker leaves game against Jazz due to ankle injury

As shocking as the Luka Doncic trade was for all either within the NBA or those who follow it, it was also shocking for him to be abruptly traded by the Dallas Mavericks to Los Angeles Lakers on the evening of February 1st.

“Those close to him say he has alternated between shock, sadness and anger,” writes ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.

Doncic is currently living in a Los Angeles hotel with his fiancee and young daughter after recently closing on a new house in Dallas.

“The closure is going to take a while, I think,” DonÄić said after the Lakers’ 107-99 win. “It’s not ideal.”

Those close to Doncic are working to help him move forward sooner rather than later.

Doncic was ready to commit to a five-year, $345 million supermax with the Mavericks this coming offseason. Now, the Lakers can offer Doncic a four-year, $229 million extension this summer, or a five-year, $296 million contract during the 2026 offseason as an unrestricted free agent.

Derrick Jones Jr. considered signing with the Miami Heat before eventually agreeing to a one-year deal at the minimum with the Dallas Mavericks.

Jones spent two-and-a-half seasons with the Heat before joining the Portland Trail Blazers in 2020. Jones spent the past two seasons with the Chicago Bulls.