© Matthew Stockman/Getty ImagesLuka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers plays the Denver Nuggets in the fourth quarter at Ball Arena on February 22, 2025.

Barely a month after the deal between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks, which included Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis, much has changed in the NBA. The Los Angeles Lakers, now led by the Slovenian guard and LeBron James, have become one of the best teams in the Western Conference, while the Mavs have struggled, with several issues significantly hurting their championship aspirations. Now, a former champion with the Boston Celtics has made a striking remark about that deal.

“Right now, the Los Angeles Lakers are saving the NBA,” Kendrick Perkins remarked on NBA Today this Wednesday. With his co-hosts listening intently, the former center added, “Let me ask you a question. How excited were you all a month ago before the Luka Doncic trade about the NBA?”

At that point, everyone in the studio agreed that the league had regained the public’s attention since the deal between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks. “So now you all can honestly say that you are more excited,” Perkins added.

“We could possibly get Boston versus the Los Angeles Lakers with the superstar power. And then you take a deeper dive, you’re looking to say, ‘Who’s going to stop them from meeting up in the Finals?” said the 2008 NBA champion with the Boston Celtics.

Kendrick Perkins attends the Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game during the 2022 NBA All-Star Weekend at Wolstein Center on February 18, 2022.

“All the fans around the world probably were in and out, wondering what was going to happen in June. Now they’re committed; they’re all in,” Perkins said. “And when you have Showtime back in LA, now all of a sudden the excitement, the energy, and everything else is back toward the NBA.”

With Doncic, the Lakers are favorites in the West?

While it is true that the Los Angeles Lakers’ resurgence this season began before the arrival of Luka Doncic, the team’s level has only risen with him on the court alongside LeBron James. In fact, they have won seven consecutive games and are on a 13-game winning streak in their last 15 games.

That impressive run has allowed them to climb sharply in the Western Conference standings. Not long ago, they were struggling to keep a spot in the Play-In Tournament, but now they sit second with a 39-21 record.

The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to dominate the Western Conference and are unlikely to relinquish that top position for the remainder of the regular season. However, come the playoffs, things could be very different, and the quality and experience of the two superstars on the Los Angeles Lakers could make all the difference.