Los Angeles Lakers fans are going to be forced to wait to see Luka Doncic make his debut after his blockbuster trade.
The NBA world was sent into a frenzy on Sunday after it was announced that Doncic was being traded to the Lakers.
In one of basketball’s most crazy, unexpected moves ever, the Dallas Mavericks swapped their franchise man for Anthony Davis.
Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris also joined the Lakers in the switch, with Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick going to Dallas.
Doncic is reported to have cried when he found out about the move but he’s now in LA and set for his debut.
Lakers fans will have hoped to have seen him step onto the court for the team against the Los Angeles Clippers tonight.
But that’s unfortunately not going to happen…
Why is Doncic not making his Lakers debut tonight?
Doncic is not going to be playing for the Lakers tonight.
He has not played an NBA since Christmas Day after suffering a calf strain while with the Mavericks.
It’s been over a month since he took to the court and he’s not expected to instantly return for his debut.
The injury is one of the reasons why Doncic is not going to be taking part in the All-Star game later this month.
Before his trade, reports claimed that the Slovenian was aiming for a potential comeback to action on February 8.
But NBA insider Marc Stein has said that long-term concerns about his conditioning were the reason behind the Mavericks trading him.
So there is potential for an even later Lakers debut for Doncic.
However, if he does make it back for February 8, his first appearance for his new team will be at home to the Indiana Pacers.
If Doncic is ahead of schedule in his recovery, he could play a day earlier than expected, with the Lakers also playing on February 7 against Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors.
Should he miss that game, back-to-back meetings with the Utah Jazz are his most likely clashes for a debut.
Those two games are the last before the All-Star game.
If he can’t make the Jazz matchups, then he’ll keep the Lakers fans waiting even longer for his first game.
Their next game after the All-Star break is against the Charlotte Hornets so that could end up being Doncic’s debut.
Doncic will likely be courtside as LeBron James and the Lakers take on their local rivals.
There is certainly going to be plenty of eyes looking out for him.
The Lakers are currently fifth in the NBA’s Western Conference with a great record of 28 wins and 19 losses.
They have won eight of their last 10 games and they will be hoping to get the better of the Clippers tonight.
The Clippers are having almost an equally good year though, coming into the game against their rivals 28-21.