The Lakers, meanwhile, believe that Dončić’s best is yet to come. That confidence, as I wrote recently, is inspired partly by the memories of legendary Lakers coach Phil Jackson and his philosophy that players don’t truly mature until their late 20s. And their front office, of course, is headed by someone who is as in tune with Bryant’s legacy as anyone — his longtime agent, Rob Pelinka. To put it bluntly, the vast majority of people I’ve spoken to within the league about this deal continue to believe that Dallas made a grave mistake. Especially considering how the 32-year-old Davis’ adductor strain, suffered just 31 minutes into his Mavericks tenure in a game against Houston on Feb. 8, only confirmed all those doubts about his reliability. -via New York Times / February 26, 2025
