Each lifetime, you get to expertise a couple of “the place had been you when?” moments. Discovering out Michael Jackson died. The American presidency being known as for Donald Trump in 2016. And any true NBA fan will keep in mind the place they had been on the night of 1 February 2025. I used to be ready in line for a drink at a bar in Los Angeles when a pal tapped me on the shoulder and requested: “Have you ever seen this faux Shams tweet?”
The tweet, because it seems, was actual, as unbelievable because it nonetheless could also be. The Dallas Mavericks have, certainly, traded Luka Dončić, the 25-year-old who was presupposed to be the face of the franchise for years to come back, to the Los Angeles Lakers. In return, they’ll get the person who was supposed to guide the Lakers for the following 5 years or so, 31-year-old Anthony Davis. There are a couple of extra gamers concerned within the commerce (who might be mentioned beneath), and even a 3rd crew within the Utah Jazz to assist facilitate the deal. However for all intents and functions, this was essentially the most dramatic case doable of bona fide Prime 10-superstar musical chairs.
Now to aim to make early sense of what this commerce means in what is going to most certainly go down as essentially the most stunning commerce in NBA historical past. We must also observe that on the time of publication, the commerce has not been formally confirmed.
The nitty gritty
The Mavericks obtain: Davis, Max Christie, the Lakers’ 2029 first-round choose, $55,000 in money from Utah.
The Lakers obtain: Dončić, Maxi Kleber, Markieff Morris, $55,000 in money from Utah.
The Jazz obtain: Jalen Hood-Schifino, the Clippers’ 2025 second-round choose (through the Lakers), the Mavericks’ 2025 second-round choose. (We gained’t delve into how this commerce impacts the Jazz, because it’s largely inconsequential asset shuffling).
How this impacts the Dallas Mavericks
Maybe essentially the most stunning aspect of this commerce is that the Mavericks determined to chop bait with a supposedly untouchable franchise cornerstone, and achieve this at first of his prime – it was lower than a 12 months in the past that he led Dallas to the NBA finals. Whereas studies have emerged that Dallas had considerations about Dončić’s protection and his dedication to “conditioning,” (fancy GM language for health), it’s affordable to marvel if there’s extra to the story than is being let on. Dončić, a five-time All-Star and among the finest gamers of his technology, was eligible for a supermax contract this 12 months, and it’s fascinating that, as an alternative of giving it to him, Dallas determined to get out of the Luka enterprise altogether. So as to add to the thriller, early reporting signifies that Doncic wasn’t actually shopped to groups aside from the Lakers, so there wasn’t an opportunity to search out out if the Mavericks may have acquired a much bigger haul for him. Very curious certainly.
Within the meantime, Dallas are left with a formidable roster to aim a championship run this 12 months, assuming the crew’s different celebrity, Kyrie Irving, and Davis can shrug off nagging accidents. Additionally they picked up Christie, a 21-year-old three-and-D wing, within the deal. He has impressed in a beginning function for the Lakers this 12 months together with his more and more dependable bounce capturing and talent to protect the opposing crew’s finest participant most nights. The Mavericks stored ascending star heart Dereck Energetic II, and necessary further depth gamers reminiscent of PJ Washington, Daniel Gafford, and Klay Thompson. This model of the Mavericks is big, defensively gifted, and expert. If Davis can proceed enjoying to his ceiling, as he has performed for a lot of this season, Dallas aren’t out of the championship hunt this 12 months, even with out Dončić.
The long run is the place issues begin to get slightly murky. Certain, a six-year age hole between Davis and Dončić isn’t an enormous deal amongst us mere mortals, however within the aggressive lifespan of an NBA participant, it’s eons – the Mavs have swapped a participant coming into his prime for one who’s approaching the top of his. And if the Mavericks had been actually motivated by well being considerations for Dončić, they gained’t be sleeping an entire lot sounder with Davis, who, whereas remarkably wholesome for the final two seasons, has been injury-prone his total profession. Davis is undoubtedly worlds aside from Dončić on protection, however Dončić is among the finest offensive gamers within the league, so it’s a tough promote for the Mavs to go for an equally health-challenged participant who’s considerably older and, although a formidable scorer in his personal proper, an offensive downgrade. To not point out that, by all accounts, Davis was blindsided by the deal, and there’s no assure he’ll select to remain in Dallas in the long term.
So, there are actually causes for Mavericks followers to be optimistic about their crew’s new set-up, at the very least within the short-term. However except Dončić has some deep, darkish secret we don’t find out about – health-related or in any other case – buying and selling him away at this level in his profession is a very odd transfer by the Mavericks, and there isn’t actually one other technique to body it.
For the Los Angeles Lakers
Davis just lately sat down with Shams Charania to reiterate his want to play the 4 alongside one other high-caliber huge man. Little did he know, he would quickly get his want – it might simply are available in a commerce to Dallas, the place he’ll line-up alongside Energetic. It’s a mind-blowing change after all for a Lakers crew who’ve seemed like they had been lastly beginning to fireplace on all cylinders and discover a clear identification in a Western Convention loaded with expertise. However the transfer additionally is smart for a franchise that has all the time prioritized having the most important stars sporting purple and gold above.
It appears a bit counterintuitive to say that the Lakers a) made a commerce that just about every other crew would have jumped at, b) nearly actually “gained” the commerce and c) that it may very nicely derail any momentum they’d been constructing in direction of an NBA championship this 12 months. However that’s my preliminary take. Earlier than the commerce, the Lakers roster was a few items away from true championship competition. And that’s due largely to a newly embraced identification as a swarming, defensive minded crew. That identification was solid by a mixture of things, together with an earlier commerce for a pitbull of a wing in Dorian Finney-Smith, the return of defensive savant Jarred Vanderbilt, the meteoric rise of Christie, and, most significantly, leaning into the strengths of Davis, among the finest defensive gamers within the league.
Christie and Davis have now been traded for Dončić, a participant who, on his finest day, is a “meh” defender. Even so, the Slovenian is just 25 and among the finest gamers on the earth, because of his offensive wizardry. However the crew, and its nascent and promising identification, has been flipped on its head in a single day.
After which there’s the actually fascinating case of the place this leaves LeBron James, who’s 40 and arguably the best basketball participant of all time, a precarious mixture in and of itself. There’s loads of nuance to be discovered right here: James and Davis, who gained a championship collectively in 2020, had grown extraordinarily shut of their years as Lakers teammates, and share an agent, Wealthy Paul of Klutch Sports activities. It has been broadly reported that James and Davis had been stored totally in the dead of night concerning the commerce, and that LeBron was blindsided with the information whereas at a household dinner.
It could be comprehensible if James – recognized for his want to have a say in how his groups are run – was upset at being unnoticed of the planning for the commerce. And Dončić, who shares many enjoying traits with James, is clearly being introduced in to in the end substitute him because the face of the Lakers franchise when LeBron retires. However James has additionally made no secret of his admiration for Dončić, singing his praises in essentially the most public of boards. Brian Windhorst, ESPN’s resident LeBron professional, even reported that James has lengthy “dreamed” of teaming up with Dončić and explored methods to make it occur in years previous. In some methods, this might sink James’s final probability at a championship, whereas ending an in depth partnership together with his pal Davis. In others, it’s a dream come true. To say James is experiencing blended feelings is an understatement.
The Dončić commerce, although, in the end isn’t about James, and it isn’t about this 12 months for the Lakers. It’s concerning the future, which, till this weekend, seemed mightily unclear for one of many world’s marquee sports activities franchises. The Lakers have discovered their subsequent celebrity, their subsequent face of the franchise, and so they had to surrender so much lower than most would have imagined. If that probability is on the market, you’re taking it, even when it’s half blindfolded and drunk on Slovenian wine. If the Lakers need to keep within the combine as a contender this season, they’ll want to make use of their miraculously intact remaining property to improve at heart in Davis’ absence, and the Dončić/James pairing will most likely be a clunky match to begin. However with Dončić of their arsenal for the indefinite future – and a few nice supporting forged members nonetheless round, reminiscent of Austin Reaves – the Lakers’ Showtime exhibits no indicators of a curtain name.
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