“The first conversation between Nico Harrison and Rob Pelinka on the broad concept of a potential Luka Dončić/Anthony Davis trade was in person Jan. 7 when the Lakers were in Dallas to play the Mavericks,” Marc Stein reported in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

The Trail Blazers would likely want to make room to have more minutes for Donovan Clingan, who they recently selected early in the 2024 NBA Draft. For the Lakers, meanwhile, Ayton could have at least some tangible valuable as a player who has postseason experience and tremendous size on the inside.

Other players will have to step up if the Lakers want to beat the Pacers on Saturday. Indiana has the best record since the start of January in the entire NBA. Doncic is averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 7.8 assists per game this season.