In the late hours of February 1, the sports world turned upside down with an unthinkable trade of Luka Doncic being shipped to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick. A trade so egregious that the internet thought Shams, who reported the trade, had his account hacked. After finding out this trade was true, the internet went into a frenzy with stars of the league showing their disbelief on Twitter (X). Mavs fans voiced frustration over the internet, as the biggest name in Dallas sports got traded for a disappointing haul.
Reports following the news said Luka didn’t ask to be traded and this trade simply materialized in the shadows without the knowledge of Doncic or Davis. A beloved player amongst the fans and someone who brought the Mavericks to the finals last year while having his best years ahead of him, shipped off for someone six years older than him. Blindsiding the face of the franchise. After these reports, the Mavs fandom became more unrestless and upset at the president of basketball operations, Nico Harrison. Nico approached the Lakers for this trade, once again with Doncic having no knowledge of a potential trade. Regardless, the trade still happened with fans of both sides having to accept what on earth just happened.
Luka Doncic is a generational NBA talent and loved Dallas. He planned on resigning here in a world of rare loyalty in superstars. He was loved amongst the fans and, as mentioned before, led this team to an NBA finals appearance. Five-time all-star, five-time first-team all-NBA, Rookie of the Year, countless game-winners, the second-best player in Mavericks history, and he got shipped off to LA without warning. Nico Harrison and whoever signed off on this trade pinned themselves against the fans which is obviously something you never want to do. Personally, I’m still stunned.
But what can this do for the Mavs? Is there any way this could be half-decent? Well, Anthony Davis is one of the best defenders in all of basketball, and greatly helps the front court while also being a capable offensive player, evident from his 25.7 points per game this year. The projected starting five looks appealing on paper and could lead to a nice playoff push for the Mavericks. But you gave up Luka. You just don’t do that. It seems that there is something under the surface about this trade because it doesn’t feel right. I cannot grade this trade right now. This deal remains puzzling and while it can be effective, only time will tell how this turns out.