Shams: Luka Doncic 'Shellshocked' and 'That's Been the Vibe' Ever Since Lakers Trade

Luka Dončić is still coming to grips with his blockbuster trade from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

Charania reported Thursday on Get Up his sources have described the five-time All-Star as "shellshocked," which has "been the vibe around him ever since the trade."

"I think once he gets a rhythm, a routine and gets his legs under him and gets back into basketball shape, I think that's when we'll see Luka Dončić perform the way we're accustomed to," the NBA insider said.

In three games with Los Angeles, Dončić is averaging 14.7 points on 35.6 percent shooting along with 6.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists. He shot just 1-of-9 from beyond the arc in Wednesday's 100-97 loss to the Charlotte Hornets.

Trades are a fact of life in the NBA, but that doesn't always make them easy to handle. In the case of Dončić, he had spent his first seven seasons in Dallas and fans were hopeful he'd emulate Dirk Nowitzki by never leaving the Mavs.

Then the rug suddenly got pulled out from under everybody.

Compounding the situation is the fact the 25-year-old was still nursing his calf strain from Christmas Day when he arrived in L.A. Adjusting to a new team is made more difficult when you've missed more than a month of action.

One major takeaway after the Dončić trade was that the Lakers are taking a longer-term view than they did when Anthony Davis was the co-star alongside LeBron James. They may have actually lessened their championship window right now but have a cornerstone talent who can potentially anchor the roster for the next decade.

The extent to which Los Angeles took a step backward might've been underplayed, though, because Dončić's full integration into the lineup could be more gradual than initially expected.