Luka Dončić’s return to the court is reportedly just around the corner.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ new superstar, currently out due to a calf strain, is targeting a return Monday against the Utah Jazz, according to Marc Stein.
Dončić has already begun practicing with the team, participating in a 5-on-5 scrimmage on Wednesday. He also joined the Lakers on the bench during their win Tuesday against the Los Angeles Clippers.
There were previous hopes that Dončić could come back as early as Saturday, to the point that ESPN flexed the Lakers’ game against the Indiana Pacers that day onto its broadcast schedule. Lakers head coach JJ Redick said there was a chance Dončić could play that day, but TNT’s Jared Greenberg reported Thursday that another 5-on-5 scrimmage was pushed back to Friday, leading to the delay.
Here’s what Redick said Wednesday:
“We’re kind of just assessing it day-by-day. We hope to have him back within the next few games,” Redick said after practice. “He was a participant. We just had non-contact practice today. But we got some good work in for about 45 minutes. And he’ll have a stay-ready game at some point. And over the next two days, Thursday, Friday, he’ll have some more opportunities to play live basketball. And then we’ll make a decision on Saturday. If it’s not Saturday, hopefully it’s Monday.”
Dončić hasn’t appeared in a game since Christmas Day, when he sustained a calf injury against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Lakers’ Luka Dončić era is about to start
The Lakers acquired Dončić in perhaps the most shocking trade in NBA history on Saturday. In exchange for Anthony Davis, who won a championship with the Lakers in 2020, as well as Max Christie and a first-round pick, Los Angeles acquired a player who has made five straight All-NBA teams, just reached his first NBA Finals and is on a Hall of Fame track at 25 years old.
There was no prior indication that the trade was coming — for any of the players involved. Dončić was polite during his introductory news conference with the Lakers on Tuesday but has been whispered to be both heartbroken and seething about the sequence of events that took him out of Dallas. The Mavericks have defended the trade by emphasizing the defensive upgrade that Davis brings and their long-term concerns about Dončić’s conditioning and upcoming supermax contract.
For Los Angeles, the trade leaves Dončić as the long-term face of the Lakers while LeBron James ventures further into the wrong side of 40 — and possibly free agency this offseason. The trade has been widely evaluated as a coup for the Lakers, and they’re on track to show off their new star in the next week.
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