There was a lot of criticism circling the Dallas Mavericks after they traded franchise star Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in February.
Expect another round of opinions about the big swap during the preseason when the Mavericks and Lakers meet at Las Vegas on Oct. 15.
The Lakers announced four preseason games on Monday in which they are designated as the home team, and the attention-getter is the matchup vs. Dallas.
The Mavericks landed Anthony Davis in the controversial deal, but Dallas fans were irate over the loss of Doncic.
The Lakers won both meetings between the teams after the trade. Doncic had a triple-double (19 points, 15 rebounds, 12 assists) as Los Angeles beat visiting Dallas 107-99 on Feb. 25. He then poured in 45 points in his first visit to Dallas as a visiting player on April 9, helping the Lakers prevail 112-97.
Davis missed the Feb. 25 game on Feb. 25 before producing 13 points and 11 rebounds on April 9.
The Mavericks won the NBA draft lottery despite being big longshots, so they could have Cooper Flagg, the projected No. 1 overall pick, in action when they get to Las Vegas. The Lakers, of course, will have a roster led by veteran LeBron James.
The Lakers also announced preseason games against the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 3 in Palm Desert, Calif., and home contests against the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 12 and the Sacramento Kings on Oct. 17.
–Field Level Media
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