How does the Lakers landing Luka Doncic affect the Western Conference hierarchy after the NBA trade deadline? Can anyone catch the OKC Thunder?

A few weeks ago, a league executive told me to expect a relatively quiet trade deadline, one without a blockbuster deal. There were too many cap restrictions, more buyers than sellers on the market, and a general pessimism about deals getting done.

Luka Doncic could be just a few days away from suiting up for the Los Angeles Lakers for the first time this season. The newly acquired superstar has been participating in five-on-five practice and might be in line to debut on Monday versus the Utah Jazz, according to NBA correspondent Marc Stein.

Doncic, who had dragged an otherwise unremarkable Mavericks team through the Western Conference, became the face of their failure. Dallas coach Jason Kidd was forced to come out and defend his maligned star, even though without Doncic, the Mavericks were a faded Kyrie Irving and a bunch of role players.