It was the deal for Dončić that broke the internet, the Lakers fans’ hive-mind and the space-time continuum in one fell swoop - and with good reason. The Slovenian has, since arriving at the Dallas Mavericks from Real Madrid in 2018, taken the NBA by storm, cementing himself as one of the league’s best players.

We know that the Lakers have been looking to add a center in the trade market even before trading away Anthony Davis. The team has been linked to Jonas Valanciunas since the summer, and that need becomes higher than ever now. Perplexity liked other targets better, chief among them Myles Turner.