The NBA has seen its fair share of shocking trades, but this one defies all logic. Luka Doncic, a 25-year-old generational superstar with one of the greatest resumes in league history at his age, has been traded for Anthony Davis, a 31-year-old big man with his own well-documented injury concerns. Even for someone as high on Davis as I am—more than almost anyone in the industry—this is a mind-blowingly terrible decision for the Dallas Mavericks.
The Age and Talent Gap
Yes, you can argue that Davis is playing better currently, but we know Doncic has been the better player overall. More importantly, he’s still getting better or certainly has the potential to. He’s entering his prime, while Davis is firmly on the decline even if it’s only gradual right now. The Mavericks have essentially placed a bet against Doncic’s conditioning and seriousness, wagering that he won’t rededicate himself. But let’s be real—he’s still young, he’s not dealing with chronic injuries, and now he has all the motivation in the world after being told by the franchise he carried to the NBA Finals that they’d rather have an aging big man instead. If anything I think the Mavs lit a fire under his ass with this to prove them wrong, which is a shame they couldn’t do it while he was in the team. It wouldn’t shock me if he entered next year in the best shape of his career.
This trade is not just bad—it has the potential to be historically bad.
Doncic led the league in scoring last season with a ridiculous 34 PPG while also nearly averaging a triple-double. He carried a flawed Mavericks roster to the Finals. Now, because he got out of shape and Dallas is tired of dealing with him, decided to throw in the towel and trade him for a player six years older on the decline who has missed significant time in multiple seasons. If the Mavericks don’t make it back to the Finals soon—or even if they do but Doncic goes on to win MVPs and championships with the Lakers—this deal will be remembered as one of the worst trades in NBA history in my opinion.
The Lakers Just Pulled Off a Heist
The Lakers, meanwhile, just pulled off an all-time heist.
It’s one thing to acquire a superstar; it’s another to land a 25-year-old who is already on a Hall of Fame trajectory and still improving. You could argue he’s the second-best player in the NBA, given his age and the ceiling he has already reached. At worst, he’s no lower than fourth behind Victor Wembanyama, Nikola Jokić, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Even if Davis is currently playing better, it will likely be short-lived—the gap will close quickly and then swing dramatically in Luka’s favor within a year if I were a betting man. The Lakers have essentially secured their franchise cornerstone for the next decade, while the Mavericks have put their future in the hands of a player whose best years are already behind him. Honestly it would be less shocking if Anthony Davis’s game fell off a cliff next year or he had a catastrophic injury that ended his career at his age than if Luka never reached last season’s level again.
Conclusion: A Catastrophic Decision
I just don’t understand the logic. You don’t trade a player of Luka Doncic’s caliber in his prime unless you’re getting an absolute king’s ransom in return. And Dallas didn’t. That or you know something no one else does which I got to say makes me think. Either way I can’t think of anything that would make me do this trade. They took a bet against their own superstar—one that history suggests will fail spectacularly. This isn’t just an insane trade. It’s a catastrophic one for the franchise. Honestly though I didn’t think Doncic would stay in Dallas long-term but to sale this low is amazing. It’s also amazing the Lakers get another sweetheart deal, it seems like they always manage to pull off these one sided trades.
