It has been a month since the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks agreed to a trade between Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis.
It is unheard of for a team to trade their franchise player who led them to the finals the season prior. But that is exactly what the Mavericks did. The move shook the basketball world. Many believed that someone hacked Shams Charania once he announced the trade on X.
The trade would send Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to the Lakers while the Mavericks would receive Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick. The trade also involved the Utah Jazz, as they would send cash to both teams and receive Jalen Hood-Schifino and two 2025 second-round picks.
The trade garnered mixed reactions from Los Angeles fans. While they were happy to receive a future face of the franchise in Doncic, they were sad to see Davis, who helped them win a championship in 2020, go to Dallas.
Mavericks fans, on the other hand, met the trade with overwhelming negative reactions. Protests broke out in front of the American Airlines Arena and fans demanded answers from Mavs general manager Nico Harrison.
Tim MacMahon of ESPN reported that Harrison and the Mavs front office were concerned with Doncic’s health and conditioning. They did not want to commit to another long term extension with Doncic, thus trading him.
Like fans and critics, the trade surprised Doncic and Davis as well. Doncic stated that he believed he would spend his entire career in Dallas because “loyalty is a big thing to him.” Davis was shocked but said he was over it once reality set in. Both stars looked forward to fresh starts with their new teams.
Since the night of the trade, the Mavs are 6-7.
Davis impressed in his Mavs debut, as he put up 26 points, 16 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 blocks in a win against the Houston Rockets. Unfortunately, he left the game with a groin injury and has not played another game since.
Though not a focal part of the trade, Max Christie has been a bright spot for Dallas. In 12 games as a Maverick, Christie has averaged 12.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists.
Dallas is currently 10th in the Western Conference. With injuries to Davis and Kyrie Irving, staying in the play-in will be an uphill battle for the Mavs.
While the Mavericks are trending down, the Lakers are skyrocketing. Los Angeles 10-2 since the trade.
Doncic has seemed to adjust to his new team fairly quickly.
In his most recent game against the cross-town rival Clippers, Doncic put up 29 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists.
The Lakers are currently 2nd in the Western Conference and are riding a 6-game winning streak.
Lakers fans always have high expectations and anything less than a championship would be considered a failure. With Doncic joining up with LeBron James, the goal of a championship seems within reach.
For the Mavs faithful, the grief of this trade will follow them for the next decade unless Harrison and the front office are able to succeed in their vision of building an all-around roster, which they felt they could not have done with Doncic.
There is no doubt that this trade shook the foundation of the NBA and will be talked about for decades to come.
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Well rounded article written by Anthony Arroyo. Keep up the good work and continue the grind. Go Lakers!
