The move was reportedly initiated by Dallas and came as a shock to not only Doncic and Davis, but to Mavs star Kyrie Irving and Lakers great LeBron James as well. The fact this move was made less than one year removed from Dallas playing in the NBA Finals is but one of many shocking bullet points. The blockbuster trade is the first time current All-NBA selections have been traded for one another mid-season. Davis, at 31, is one of the more decorated players in the league and will provide the Mavericks with a forceful defensive presence the team has historically lacked.
But let's be clear, an NBA franchise is in the business of three things: winning games, selling tickets and keeping fans happy. Time will tell if this move will help the Mavs win games, and it's unlikely to help sell tickets, but we know it’s already stunned and angered diehard fans from around the world.
Stunned is putting what might be the most unexpected trade in NBA history lightly. On social media, many assumed it was a hoax. Seconds after Charania posted the news on X, hundreds of replies said that the news was so absurd that his account must have been hacked.
“The Mavericks would never ever consider trading Luka,” we thought, naively. “Was Shams hacked? Were Elon Musk’s X layoffs exclusive to the cyber security team? Is this post about to be deleted and cemented as a ‘remember when this happened’ screenshot?”
But then the wound was opened. Charania doubled down, saying “yes it’s real.” ESPN followed suit, officially announcing the news across socials. Many reputable NBA reporters confirmed the news with insiders. It was all too real.
Yes, this is real. Sources tell ESPN: Full trade:
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 2, 2025
- Lakers: Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, Markieff Morris
- Mavericks: Anthony Davis, Max Christie, 2029 LAL 1st
- Jazz: Jalen Hood-Schifino, 2025 Clippers 2nd, 2025 Mavericks 2nd https://t.co/bltojdTaQj
Earlier that evening, James led a Davis-less Lakers to a victory over the New York Knicks. Sources close to James say that he was made aware of the news while at a late-night family dinner.
The Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers were wrapping up the fourth quarter when the news broke. Cameras caught the reactions of players on both benches upon hearing the news.
After the game, Suns forward Kevin Durant commented on the news.
"I would've never thought Luka Doncic would get traded," Durant told reporters in the locker room. "If he can traded then anybody's up for grabs."
Kevin Durant was in DISBELIEF seeing the news of the trade…The NBA is insane.
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) February 2, 2025
(h/t @adryanashton)
pic.twitter.com/ASFBAAYmPW
In a statement to ESPN reporter Tim MacMahon. GM Nico Harrison laid out some thoughts that illuminate things a tad.
“I believe that defense wins championships,” Harrison said. “I believe that getting an All-Defensive center and and All-NBA player with a defensive mindset gives us a better chance. We’re built to win now and in the future.”
Logistically, Davis does fit in well with the Mavericks’ current roster. If Davis joined a team with Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson in 2017, we’d be penciling them in for the championship already. But it’s 2025. Davis is 31, Irving and Thompson are 32 and 34, respectively. The comments about defense read as a not-so-thinly veiled shot at Doncic. MacMahon reported that the Mavericks’ issues with Doncic’s conditioning factored into the reasoning for the trade.
In a cold, cynical level of sports fandom, it will at least be cool to see Doncic play with James. This sort of fusion between two eras of great players is anything but common. It’s as if late-stage Michael Jordan got to play with an up-and-coming Kobe Bryant. It’ll be interesting to see how James and Doncic share the court, seeing as how they both play with a similar ball-dominant style, and there is only one ball.
To help us process this shocking news, we ranked the most likely excuses the Mavericks might offer for the trade, listed from worst to best in terms of competence.
1. The Mavericks Want to “Win Now”
Doncic took the team to the NBA Finals last year, although he 2023-24 Mavericks were not a championship caliber team. It was Doncic’s inhuman ability to bring the absolute best out of his teammates that got the team to that point. 2. The Mavericks Didn’t Want to Pay Doncic
Doncic is 25 years old and a top five player in the NBA at any given time. This summer, he would’ve been eligible for a “supermax” contract extension, which allows teams to reward players who remain with the team for more than seven years with a massive five year extension. Doncic was set to receive a deal worth $345 million. After the trade, he is ineligible for the supermax extension. Keeping Doncic around with the deal should’ve been a layup for new Mavericks majority owners Miriam Adelson and Patrick Dumont, who took over the team in 2023.
3. Doncic's Defense and Conditioning
Nobody is pretending that Doncic is a great, or even good defender. But this season, the team stands at 12th best in defensive rating. He could be much better, but his defensive prowess is absolutely not cause to move him. 4. Doncic Has Secretly Hated Dallas All Along
Surely the cheers, jersey sales and larger-than-life-sized murals that pepper the city have been enough to appease him, but you never know. It was reported that he did not request this trade, but the Mavericks would at least have more plausible deniability with this excuse than what ranks above it. Not likely, in our opinion, but who knows?The Mavericks play the Lakers in Los Angeles on Feb. 25, and at home on April 9. If we know anything about Luka Doncic, we’d expect those to be two fiery bouts.
Luka, if you’re reading this, we’ll miss you.
