Forget just the NBA for a moment. In one of the most shocking trades in North American sports history, the Los Angeles Lakers have traded Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Luka Doncic.
The secondary moving pieces will see LA also receive Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris, while Dallas will acquire Max Christie and the Lakers 2029 1st round pick. Utah also became involved, receiving Jalen Hood-Schifino, the Clippers 2025 2nd round pick, and the Mavericks 2025 2nd round pick to get the deal across the finish line.
But make no mistake about it, this was a Doncic for Davis swap.
With Adrian Wojnarowski taking a step back from his role as the harbinger of all breaking news in the world of basketball, Shams Charania has stepped into that void as the go to source for industry rumours. So when he had to spend the better part of the evening trying to convince fans and front offices that the reported deal was in fact real, that tells you just about everything you need to know about how much of a blockbuster this was.
Franchises just don’t trade 25 year old perennial MVP candidates historically.
But not only did Dallas do just that, according to reports, they were actually the ones who approached the Lakers about the deal in the first place. When talk begins to surface that even LeBron James was unaware of the deal until after it happened, that shows just how quickly the Lakers front office said “yes” when the deal was first tabled.
Simply put, there isn’t much that the Lakers do that James doesn’t have input on. A fact that’s been true throughout multiple stages of his career with a variety of franchises. And yet, the deal reeks of LA essentially scrambling to send the documents into the league as fast as humanly possible before Dallas changed their minds.
“I believe that defence wins championships,” Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, explaining his motivation to deal Doncic for Davis. “I believe that getting an All-Defensive center and an All-NBA player with a defensive mindset gives us a better chance. We’re built to win now and in the future.”
While the “defence wins championships” mantra might have worked for the 2004 Detroit Pistons, trading a player of Doncic’s pedigree remains a MASSIVE swing by the Mavs front office. One which, if it doesn’t pan out, will likely lead to a swift firing spree for all involved.
A 5x All-Star, 5x All-NBA 1st Team, rookie of the year winner, NBA scoring champion, and one of the most decorated international basketball players of all time already, Doncic is for all intents and purposes, a superstar. Make no mistake about it, Anthony Davis is premier player in the league when healthy. One who can impact the game on both ends of the floor and make his teammates better.
But at age 31, and with an extensive injury history, his window to win championships is significantly shorter than that of Doncic. And with Dallas having just been to the NBA Finals last year, it’s not as though there have been a litany of road bumps along the way for Luka in the postseason. His trajectory to becoming an eventual NBA champion seemed to be “when” rather than “if”
According to reports, things began to sour in Dallas as a result of Doncic’s conditioning as he continues to recover from a strained calf. Limited to just 22 games this season, rumours of the perennial All-Star’s weight ballooning up to as much as 270lbs have begun to leak in the aftermath of the deal.
And yet there has to be more to the deal than just conditioning or diet. It would be one thing if they were trading for the NBA’s ironman of durability, but Davis’ injury history is well documented going all the way back to his time in New Orleans.
Davis has never played more than 76 games in a season (which happened last year), suiting up for 56, 40, 36, 62, and 56 games the 5 years prior to that. One has to wonder if Mark Cuban were as involved as he previously was with the team whether or not such a deal would have even been dared been brought up for fear of it being laughed out of the room.
When Dallas drafted 3rd overall back in 2018, many assumed that he would be the franchise’s next Dirk Nowitzki, destined to play out a 20 year career with the Mavs and eventually have his number retired. Instead, he now heads to the Lakers 6.5 years later.
The move was so shocking that Phoenix and Portland players briefly took their attention away from their game to share wild reactions to the news on the benches.
“They said Luka. I said, Luka Garza?'” Suns guard Devin Booker said when a fan told him of the deal. “It’s crazy, man. I really don’t know what to say about it. Luka being a guy that everybody has claimed is untouchable and untradeable. The NBA shows you again. Can’t predict. It’s a business. They’re always having a conversation about you. So don’t think you’re safer than you are.”
Teammate Kevin Durant added “Insane. It’s crazy. Crazy. Damn, would have never thought Luka Doncic would get traded. At his age, midseason, the NBA is a wild place, man. If he can get traded, then anybody is up for grabs.”
While fans will have to sit back and see how things play out, one thing is for certain, Mavericks GM Nico Harrison’s future in the league is 100% dependant on his team winning a championship in the next 3 years. If they don’t, and Davis walks, retires, or sees his production drop, it’s uncertain whether any team would want to give him another shot at a front office role.
A big bet has been made, now it’s time to see if it pays off.
Photo: Erik Drost. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.