Something special may be happening in the City of Angels. The Los Angeles Lakers have gone 11-2 since they traded Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Luka Doncic.

This trade involved three teams: the Lakers received Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris from the Mavericks, while Dallas acquired Davis, Max Christie and the Lakers’ 2029 first-round pick. The Utah Jazz received Jalen Hood-Schifino, along with the L.A. Clippers’ 2025 second-round pick and the Mavericks’ 2025 second-round selection.

The Lakers are on a seven-game winning streak and have climbed to the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference standings. On Tuesday night, they defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 136-115. After the game, Shaquille O’Neal from “Inside the NBA” discussed whether the Lakers are now legitimate contenders.

“As great as LeBron is, we all still think of him as a pass first guy,” O’Neal said.

“LeBron does not mind giving up the ball to a guy like Luka. He did it for Kyrie. He did it for D-Wade and Chris Bosh. With a guy like Luka out there doing that, LeBron can choose his spots. If I were him, ‘Luka, 30, 30, 30,’ continue to get my numbers, then in the playoffs, first, second, third round, like Candace said, they can be contenders.”

While O’Neal believes the Lakers could be contenders if they maintain their current level of play, not everyone agrees. His colleague at TNT, Charles Barkley, has expressed skepticism about the Lakers’ chances. Barkley stated previously that he does not believe the Lakers are true contenders, despite acknowledging that adding Doncic is an improvement.

However, he still doesn’t think they match up well against teams like the Denver Nuggets or Oklahoma City Thunder, and he also questioned whether they are better than the Memphis Grizzlies or Houston Rockets. The Lakers hold a half-game lead over the Nuggets for the No. 2 seed in the standings. They will aim to maintain that position while facing the fifth-toughest schedule in the NBA during March and April.