Saturday night’s stunning trade between the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers left the NBA world in shambles.
Luka Doncic was heading to the Lakers, less than a year removed from taking the Mavs to the NBA Finals, and at a value that seemed like a steal for Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Anthony Davis’s time in L.A. came to a shockingly abrupt end that no one saw coming.
A trade of this magnitude, involving two superstar players, one of whom still may be years away from his peak, is something that simply does not happen in sports.
To help non-basketball fans wrap their heads around the situation, ESPN’s Adam Schefter took a shot at giving an example for what the deal would look like in NFL terms.
An NFL equivalent: the Ravens trading Lamar Jackson+ to the Bengals in exchange for Joe Burrow+ — in the middle of the season.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 2, 2025
It was a valiant effort, but the general consensus was that Schefty missed the mark here.
The most flagrant miscue here is that both Lamar and Burrow are 28 years old, so Schefter’s comparison does not account for the dramatic age difference between Davis and Doncic. There’s other points to quibble with as well, as the internet was quick to point out.
Fans hopped in doing their best to correct Schefter’s attempt, with a swap of Matthew Stafford and Josh Allen pitched as a potential answer.
This isn’t even close. It’s like Ravens trading Lamar for Dak Prescott.
— Farbod (@thefarbod) February 2, 2025
This isn’t even remotely correct. It’s more like a young top 5 player like Allen getting traded for an aging, star like Stafford
— ᴅ ʀ ᴇ ᴡ (@FeelLikeDrew) February 2, 2025
No, it’s like trading Josh Allen for Matthew Stafford, Tyler Higbee and a pick
— Curtis (@CurtEusCurtis) February 2, 2025
lol what?? That is not an equivalent at all. Just do the reporting thing, brother https://t.co/R7w6TCdp4V
— Jon Ledyard (@LedyardNFLDraft) February 2, 2025
This is, obviously, wrong.
— nick wright (@getnickwright) February 2, 2025
There’s no NFL comp, but if one were forced to make one, here is the correct one:
The Bills trading Josh Allen during the ‘22 season, the season after the :13 game, for Matt Stafford and a future 1st.
Again, there’s no NFL comp, but this is closest. https://t.co/0RfUpZgKRi
It’s not easy to pull off a cross-sports comp for a deal of this magnitude, but if the situation ever arises again, Schefter might want to leave his post in drafts.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Adam Schefter Roasted After Baffling Attempt to Put Luka-AD Trade in NFL Terms.
