Dismiss those calling it a move solely for the future of the franchise, because Luka Doncic + LeBron Davis adds up to a pair basketball savants who can contend together immediately.

However, the present-day Lakers' roster still needed to be refined if the organization was serious about chasing a title in 2025. While the Lakers now had an abundance of scoring power in the James-Doncic duo, the team lacked a notable frontcourt and quality defense.

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.

The Lakers’ acquisition of Luka Doncic was the biggest move of the week, even if plenty of other teams were also able to improve.

The team added Luka Doncic, Mark Williams, Dorian Finney-Smith and three other players over the past six weeks, deals that appear to have short- and long-term benefits.

The Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Clippers made some changes before Thursday's NBA trade deadline.