Luka Doncic is now a Los Angeles Laker. Anthony Davis is a Dallas Maverick.
Saturday night’s trade will go down as one of the most shocking moments in league history. The mega-trade between the Lakers and Mavericks had NBA fans so stunned, most thought ESPN’s Shams Charania had been hacked when he first broke the news.
Dallas is coming off an NBA Finals appearance last season and has a 25-year-old superstar in his prime with Doncic. Despite both the Mavs and Lakers squarely in the playoff hunt, Dallas decided to blow up its roster while Los Angeles gets a jumpstart on the post-LeBron era.
All of it comes back to a simple question: Why on Earth would the Mavericks trade Luka Doncic?
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon and Shams Charania report the Mavericks approached the Lakers about the deal, which was reportedly due to Dallas’ hesitancy about giving Doncic a supermax contract. The Mavs, according to ESPN, were frustrated by Doncic’s conditioning and ability to stay healthy.
The Mavs had major concerns about moving forward with Luka Doncic due to his constant conditioning issues and the looming commitment of another supermax contract extension this summer, sources told ESPN.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) February 2, 2025
“I believe that defense wins championships,” Mavs GM Nico Harrison told ESPN regarding his motivation to trade Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis. “I believe that getting an All-Defensive center and an All-NBA player with a defensive mindset gives us a better chance. We’re built to… https://t.co/iPfQvA4str
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) February 2, 2025
Luka Doncic is already eligible to sign a supermax with the Mavericks this summer projected at five years, $346 million.
The only reason I could see this trade happening is because he has no intention of signing it.
— Yossi Gozlan (@YossiGozlan) February 2, 2025
According to longtime NBA insider Marc Stein, Doncic did not request a trade.
There is still a TON we do not know about how and why this happened.
More will come to light in the next few days. Nonetheless, on one of the most stunning nights in the NBA, it sure seems like Dallas was just ready to move on from relying on Luka Doncic.
