The NBA trade deadline is always wild, but this year? Straight-up chaos. Luka Doncic in a Lakers jersey? A month ago, that sounded like something out of a 2K simulation. But here we are.

The trade that sent Luka to LA in exchange for Anthony Davis shook the entire league, but what’s been flying under the radar is how Doncic actually feels about Lakers GM Rob Pelinka after watching him work up close.

It turns out that Luka is really impressed with how aggressive the Lakers front office is. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Doncic has been nothing but positive about his new team’s approach, especially after seeing how quickly Pelinka tried to stack the roster around him.

And honestly? After years of watching Dallas drag its feet on making big moves, this has to feel like a breath of fresh air.

One of Pelinka’s biggest swings after landing Luka was trying to bring in Mark Williams from the Hornets. The Lakers needed a defensive big to pair with their new superstar, and Pelinka wasted zero time trying to make it happen. The deal was close… until it wasn’t.

The Lakers’ Nightmare: Mark Williams Trade Falls Apart

According to the team’s needs the Lakers required an athletic young center with rim-blocking abilities to enhance Luka’s performance. An agreement for his arrival was finalized by Pelinka before the deal unraveled following an unexpected medical setback. Martin Williams failed his medical screening leading to the breakdown of the proposed trade agreement.

Total disaster.

The twist in events left the Lakers without a suitable center backup plan. Jackson Hayes stands as the only available center for the team so the organization rushed to identify a replacement. The best they could do? The Lakers made an average but unexciting addition to their big-man rotation with veteran center Alex Len. The team shocked fans when they released Christian Wood to create roster space.

And it wasn’t just the Lakers left hanging—Williams himself was apparently devastated when the deal fell through. Reports say he hasn’t even returned to the Hornets yet, and honestly, who could blame him? One minute, you’re about to team up with Luka Doncic on a championship-contending Lakers squad. The next, you’re stuck in limbo. Brutal.

For the Lakers, though, this is a big problem. They needed that defensive anchor in the paint, especially with AD gone, and now? They’re rolling into the playoffs with question marks at center. Before the deadline, they tried to explore other options, including a potential move for Knicks center Jericho Sims, but that never materialized either.

Now the pressure’s on Pelinka to figure something out—fast. Because come playoff time, if they run into a team with an elite big man (think Jokic, Embiid, even Gobert), they could be in real trouble.

Luka being all-in on Pelinka’s aggressive moves is a great sign for Lakers fans, but missing out on Williams leaves a lot of questions. Did they make a mistake not having a backup plan? And what’s next for the Lakers’ frontcourt?

What do you think—should LA make another move or ride it out with what they have? Let’s talk about it in comments below: