When Luka Doncic got traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, everyone scratched their head. One year later, the trade has somehow even looked worse. Let’s take a look back on one of the more bizarre trades in NBA history.
The day was February 1st, 2025. The Lakers had just beaten the New York Knicks. A few hours later, their team acquired a generational player.
The Dallas Mavericks gave away Doncic for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick. General Manager Nico Harrison was, understandably, incredibly scrutinized.
The former 2018 draft pick was sidelined due to an injury suffered on Christmas of 2024. Little did Doncic know that was going to be the last time he wore a Mavericks uniform. The trade made no sense.
Dallas was in the NBA Finals in June of 2024. It wasn’t even a full year between the finals appearance and the transaction. Doncic averaged 29 points, nearly 10 rebounds, and eight assists in that playoff run.
This dude was the literal definition of a one-man wrecking crew. The Slovenian Sensation brought the franchise its first finals appearance since 2011, when the Mavericks took down Lebron James and the Miami Heat Big Three. Trading Doncic is like if the Denver Nuggets traded away Nikola Jokic.
It would also be like if the Kansas City Chiefs gave away Patrick Mahomes. It doesn’t make any sense. Apparently, Harrison was ready to trade Doncic the moment he injured himself on Christmas. To paraphrase, Harrison said that he would trade Doncic if he needed to. For Mavericks fans, unfortunately, that prophecy came true.
It hurts more when you realize the value they got in return.
When trading for Davis, yes, that hypothetically makes the defense better for Dallas. That, however, does not matter if the player cannot remain healthy. If there is one flaw with the former Laker, it is health.
Davis was injured when the Mavericks traded for him. They should’ve known that it was going to be a major risk. If he were healthy, the deal would still not be justifiable.
Davis made his debut a week after the trade of February 8th, 2025. He was incredible in the 31 minutes he played, scoring 26 points, 16 rebounds, and seven assists. He provided Dallas fans a glimmer of hope.
The hope was gone late in the third quarter. The former NBA Champ left the game with groin tightness and never returned. After that, he missed an extended period of time, and more was put on the shoulders of Kyrie Irving.
A few games later, Irving tore his ACL and has been sidelined to this day. The injury is unfortunate, but he had an incredibly high usage rate since Davis went out, and it’s hard not to think those two factors are correlated.
No Davis and no Irving. It became the Klay Thompson show for a bit before Davis returned towards the end of the season. This year, out of the 50 possible games, he missed 20 of them. He played in only 31 of the 85 possible games during his Mavericks tenure.
Dallas knew they had to pivot. On February 4th, 2025, the franchise traded Davis to the Washington Wizards in an eight-player deal. This is why you don’t trade your franchise guy for a good player who is older and has dealt with injuries.
Dallas fans have one saving grace, though. Their 2025 draft pick, Cooper Flagg, looks unbelievable. He is averaging 20 points per game and six rebounds on nearly 50% shooting.
That is impressive for a rookie. The Mavericks were blessed with a second chance. They have a generational young talent. They have to keep him at all costs.
Dallas fans cannot go through another Donic trade saga. The franchise must take advantage of this rare opportunity.
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