Luka Doncic is excited to join the Lakers after the shock of his stunning trade away from Dallas

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Luka Doncic was nearly asleep last Saturday night in Dallas when his phone buzzed. Only then did he learn that the Mavericks had just stunned the sports world by trading him to the Los Angeles Lakers.

“You can imagine how surprised I was,” Doncic said. “I had to check if it was April 1. I didn't really believe it.”

The superstar has begun to recover after his first two days in LA, and he's growing increasingly excited about a new chapter with LeBron James and his famed new team on the sunny West Coast.

And while his past and future teammates say Doncic has never lacked motivation to be great, he has all the fuel he'll ever need after the Mavericks inherently questioned his talent and determination by making this seismic trade.

“It was a big shock,” Doncic said. “(Dallas) was home, so it was really hard moments for me. … (But now) I get to play in the greatest club in the world, and I’m excited for this new journey.”

The Lakers formally welcomed Doncic on Tuesday, less than three days after they traded Anthony Davis and Max Christie in a three-team deal for the Slovenian scorer who won his first scoring title last season before leading the Mavs to the NBA Finals. Doncic is a five-time All-NBA selection and a five-time All-Star.

Stars of Doncic’s age and accomplishments are almost never traded in any sport, and particularly not in such an abrupt manner. But when Dallas decided to move on from its 25-year-old centerpiece, the Lakers eagerly gave up Davis — one of basketball's best big men — to make it happen.

Doncic is still processing the upheaval, but he already is seeing the limitless upside of a career in Los Angeles that will begin alongside the 40-year-old James, the top scorer in NBA history.

“Honestly, it was hard at first,” Doncic said. “That first day was really hard. I felt like these last 48 hours was one month. Emotionally, it was really hard, but today was much better. This is the Lakers. It’s one of the best clubs in history, so I’m excited to be here."

General manager Rob Pelinka didn't hide his glee at landing Doncic when they met with the media at the Lakers' training complex. In his typically florid style of discourse, Pelinka said Doncic's arrival would bring “basketball joy to the world.”

“We have one of the game’s biggest superstars and an international player coming to join the Lakers,” Pelinka said. “I think it’s going to be something incredibly special that the NBA and basketball has never seen before.”

Although James was blindsided by the deal along with the rest of the NBA, he quickly made a call to Doncic to welcome him to the Lakers. Doncic has often described James as his idol.

“It's just like a dream come true,” Doncic said. “I always looked up to him. There's so many things I can learn from him, and I'm just excited to learn everything and get to play with him. It's an amazing feeling.”

Doncic hasn’t played since Christmas because of a calf strain, but he is close to a return. He will participate in 5-on-5 work at practice Wednesday, and the Lakers will make a plan for Doncic’s debut afterward.

The Lakers have four games in the Los Angeles area in the next seven days, with a road game against the Clippers on Tuesday night followed by three straight home games.

The trade caused an uproar in the sports world, leaving most Mavs fans furious — including Doncic's father, Sasa, who said his son “absolutely did not deserve this.”

The basketball world also was baffled by how quiet the Lakers and Mavericks kept the talks. Pelinka clearly took pride in keeping a lid on these negotiations, which began at a coffee shop with Dallas GM Nico Harrison, a longtime friend.

Some of the league’s biggest names — names who, like Doncic, would generally be considered untouchable in trades — have reacted in complete disbelief.

“Especially with (Dallas) coming off the finals, it’s a reminder that there are only a few in this league that can go to sleep with any type of confidence that you’ll still be there,” Golden State guard Stephen Curry said. “It’s kind of a very unique situation across the board.”

Added Minnesota guard Anthony Edwards: “They traded probably the best scorer in the NBA at 25. And he didn’t know about it. There’s a lot more digging somebody’s got to do to find out why he got traded. You don’t just trade him at 25. He just went to the finals. I feel bad for Luka, man.”

The Lakers also acquired Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris in the trade with Dallas. Both praised Doncic's work ethic and leadership — and both laughed at the widespread notion the Mavs were irredeemably concerned about Doncic's conditioning and work ethic.

“I hear the stuff about him not being in shape, but if you can go in an NBA game and get 30 and 15 and 10 like it’s nothing, then I don’t really know what shape is,” Morris said. "You’re gonna see it really soon. You’ll make the (determination) if he’s in shape or not.”

Morris returns to the Lakers after winning a championship ring with the team in the Florida “bubble” in 2020. He said the Mavs informed him he had been traded Saturday night, but not where he was going — he learned that on television and social media.

Kleber is on crutches after having surgery on his broken right foot. The German veteran — best known in LA for hitting a particularly spectacular 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat the Lakers in March 2023 — says he will be re-evaluated in eight weeks, hopefully allowing him to return around the postseason.

“I don't know if a guy like Luka needs extra motivation, because I've seen him work, and how competitive he is over the years," Kleber said. "I think he was that type of person already before. But if you want to add something to it, he will be competitive, for sure.”

AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Doncic, right, walks to the podium with general manger Rob Pelinka during an introductory NBA basketball press conference Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in El Segundo, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

From left to right, Los Angeles Lakers' Markieff Morris, Luka Doncic and Maxi Kleber pose with their new jerseys during an introductory NBA basketball press conference Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in El Segundo, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

From left to right, Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, Luka Doncic, and head coach JJ Redick pose for photos during an introductory NBA basketball press conference Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in El Segundo, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

From left to right, Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, Luka Doncic, and head coach JJ Redick pose for photos during an introductory NBA basketball press conference Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in El Segundo, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Doncic poses for photos with his new jersey during an introductory NBA basketball press conference Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in El Segundo, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Doncic speaks during an introductory NBA basketball press conference Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in El Segundo, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick listens to Luka Doncic speak during an introductory NBA basketball press conference Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in El Segundo, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Doncic speaks during an introductory NBA basketball press conference Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in El Segundo, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Doncic speaks during an introductory NBA basketball press conference Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in El Segundo, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Doncic fields questions during an introductory NBA basketball press conference Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in El Segundo, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Doncic poses for photos with his new jersey during an introductory NBA basketball press conference Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in El Segundo, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

From left to right, Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, Markieff Morris, Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber and head coach JJ Redick poses for photos during an introductory NBA basketball press conference Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in El Segundo, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Doncic, right, and general manger Rob Pelinka field questions during an introductory NBA basketball press conference Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in El Segundo, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Doncic speaks during an introductory NBA basketball press conference Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in El Segundo, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Doncic speaks during an introductory NBA basketball press conference Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in El Segundo, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

From left to right, Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, Luka Doncic, and head coach JJ Redick pose for photos during an introductory NBA basketball press conference Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in El Segundo, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Doncic speaks next to general manager Rob Pelinka during an introductory NBA basketball press conference Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in El Segundo, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Doncic speaks next to general manager Rob Pelinka during an introductory NBA basketball press conference Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in El Segundo, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Doncic speaks next to general manager Rob Pelinka during an introductory NBA basketball press conference Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in El Segundo, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Doncic, left, walks to the podium with general manger Rob Pelinka during an introductory NBA basketball press conference Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in El Segundo, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

FILE - Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) dribbles against Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Dallas, Dec. 12, 2023. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Federal agents carrying out immigration arrests in Minnesota's Twin Cities region already shaken by the fatal shooting of a woman rammed the door of one home Sunday and pushed their way inside, part of what the Department of Homeland Security has called its largest enforcement operation ever.

In a dramatic scene similar to those playing out across Minneapolis, agents captured a man in the home just minutes after pepper spraying protesters outside who had confronted the heavily armed federal agents. Along the residential street, protesters honked car horns, banged on drums and blew whistles in attempts to disrupt the operation.

Video of the clash taken by The Associated Press showed some agents pushing back protesters while a distraught woman later emerged from the house with a document that federal agents presented to arrest the man. Signed by an immigration officer, the document — unlike a warrant signed by a judge — does not authorize forced entry into a private residence. A warrant signed by an immigration officer only authorizes arrest in a public area.

Immigrant advocacy groups have conducted extensive “know-your-rights” campaigns urging people not to open their doors unless agents have a court order signed by a judge.

But within minutes of ramming the door in a neighborhood filled with single-family homes, the handcuffed man was led away.

More than 2,000 immigration arrests have been made in Minnesota since the enforcement operation began at the beginning of December, said Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told Fox News on Sunday that the administration would send additional federal agents to Minnesota to protect immigration officers and continue enforcement.

The Twin Cities — the latest target in President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement campaign — is bracing for what is next after 37-year-old Renee Good was shot and killed by an immigration officer on Wednesday.

“We’re seeing a lot of immigration enforcement across Minneapolis and across the state, federal agents just swarming around our neighborhoods,” said Jason Chavez, a Minneapolis city councilmember. “They’ve definitely been out here.”

Chavez, the son of Mexican immigrants who represents an area with a growing immigrant population, said he is closely monitoring information from chat groups about where residents are seeing agents operating.

People holding whistles positioned themselves in freezing temperatures on street corners Sunday in the neighborhood where Good was killed, watching for any signs of federal agents.

More than 20,000 people have taken part in a variety of trainings to become “observers” of enforcement activities in Minnesota since the 2024 election, said Luis Argueta, a spokesperson for Unidos MN, a local human rights organization .

“It’s a role that people choose to take on voluntarily, because they choose to look out for their neighbors,” Argueta said.

The protests have been largely peaceful, but residents remained anxious. On Monday, Minneapolis public schools will start offering remote learning for the next month in response to concerns that children might feel unsafe venturing out while tensions remain high.

Many schools closed last week after Good’s shooting and the upheaval that followed.

While the enforcement activity continues, two of the state’s leading Democrats said that the investigation into Good's shooting death should not be overseen solely by the federal government.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and U.S. Sen. Tina Smith said in separate interviews Sunday that state authorities should be included in the investigation because the federal government has already made clear what it believes happened.

“How can we trust the federal government to do an objective, unbiased investigation, without prejudice, when at the beginning of that investigation they have already announced exactly what they saw — what they think happened," Smith said on ABC’s "This Week."

The Trump administration has defended the officer who shot Good in her car, saying he was protecting himself and fellow agents and that Good had “weaponized” her vehicle.

Todd Lyons, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, defended the officer on Fox News Channel’s “The Sunday Briefing.”

"That law enforcement officer had milliseconds, if not short time to make a decision to save his life and his other fellow agents,” he said.

Lyons also said the administration’s enforcement operations in Minnesota wouldn't be needed “if local jurisdictions worked with us to turn over these criminally illegal aliens once they are already considered a public safety threat by the locals.”

The killing of Good by an ICE officer and the shooting of two people by federal agents in Portland, Oregon, led to dozens of protests in cities across the country over the weekend, including New York, Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and Oakland, California.

Contributing were Associated Press journalists Giovanna Dell’Orto in Minneapolis; Thomas Strong in Washington; Bill Barrow in Atlanta; Christopher Weber in Los Angeles; and John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio.

A woman gets into an altercation with a federal immigration officer as officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A federal immigration officer deploys pepper spray as officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A family member, center, reacts after federal immigration officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Bystanders are treated after being pepper sprayed as federal immigration officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A family member reacts after federal immigration officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Federal agents look on after detaining a person during a patrol in Minneapolis, Minn., Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Bystanders react after a man was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a traffic stop, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Robbinsdale, Minn. (AP Photo/John Locher)

People stand near a memorial at the site where Renee Good was fatally shot by an ICE agent, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck)

A man looks out of a car window after being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a traffic stop, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Robbinsdale, Minn. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Border Patrol agents detain a man, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

People shout toward Border Patrol agents making an arrest, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Demonstrators protest outside the White House in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who fatally shot Renee Good in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey holds a news conference on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck)

Protesters react as they visit a makeshift memorial during a rally for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer earlier in the week, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)