Who said the 2025 trade deadline was going to be quiet? The most shocking NBA trade notification of all time happened shortly after midnight on the East Coast Sunday morning when Shams Charania reported that the Lakers and Mavericks agreed to a Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis deal. Everyone, including New York Knicks fans, were left stunned.
Fans assumed Charania's X (Twitter) account had been hacked, but that wasn't the case. More details began to emerge about the trade, but Dallas has yet to justify why it traded the face of the franchise. Spoiler alert: Nico Harrison won't be able to do so, no matter what he says.
ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported that Dallas had "major concerns" about "moving forward" with Doncic because of his "constant conditioning issues" and the supermax extension he would've been eligible for over the summer. So, the Mavericks traded him for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick. Dallas gave up Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris. Utah hopped in the trade and acquired Jalen Hood-Schifino and two second-round picks.
Harrison said on Sunday that the Mavericks only talked to the Lakers about trading Doncic. Several other teams would've jumped at the opportunity to acquire Luka and would've done so for more than one first-round pick. Rather than start a bidding war for an almost 26-year-old superstar who isn't in his prime yet, Harrison did his good friend Rob Pelinka a massive favor.
Mavericks trade Luka Doncic to Lakers in league-altering move
Dallas fans only thought it couldn't get worse than letting Jalen Brunson walk in 2022 free agency to sign with New York. The Mavericks had two separate chances to sign Brunson to an extension significantly less than the four-year, $104 million contract he signed with the Knicks but chose not to.
It didn't take long for Dallas' front office to look inept for letting Brunson go. He's become the superstar point guard New York waited so long for. He was named an All-Star starter this year after being named an All-Star reserve in 2023. Brunson also made his first All-NBA team last year.
The Mavericks replaced Brunson by trading for Kyrie Irving before the 2023 trade deadline. Dallas purposely tanked that season to keep its top-10 pick away from New York, which resulted in Dereck Lively II. The Mavericks went on to have one of their best seasons since they won the championship in 2011. They shocked everyone by making it to the 2024 NBA Finals.
Dallas currently sits at No. 8 (2.5 games back from the No. 6 seed) in a stacked Western Conference with a 26-23 record. Doncic has played only 22 games this season because of a calf injury that has sidelined him since after Christmas. Who would've thought Dec. 25 was Luka's last game in a Mavericks uniform?
Fans are understandably distraught. Dallas unknowingly selected two stars in the 2018 draft (nobody knew how good Brunson would be), traded one for an underwhelming haul, and let the other leave for nothing. Both are the faces of two of the most storied organizations in professional sports. Way to go, Mavs!