But at the time of the deal, when Dallas acquired a package headlined by Anthony Davis in exchange for the cornerstone who’d just led the franchise to the NBA Finals the previous season, Dončić faced plenty of rumors about what went wrong to prompt Mavericks and general manager Nico Harrison to make such a seismic move.

Luka Dončić gone. Anthony Davis injured in his debut. Kyrie Irving out for the season. Luka returns to Dallas. Here's a timeline of the Mavericks' miserable season.

Two months after his trade to the Lakers, Dončić is looking like himself again — while earning the adoration of the fan base.