Seeing the news of the Luka Doncic trade in the NBA on Sunday morning didn’t feel real. Two days later, it still feels fake. The trade between the Lakers and Mavericks late Saturday night is something that the sports world cannot fathom. Not only is it one of the biggest deals in NBA history, but it could also be the worst.
Here’s a full look at the bombshell trade:
Lakers Acquire
- Luka Doncic
- Maxi Kleber
- Markieff Morris
Mavericks Acquire
- Anthony Davis
- Max Christie
- Lakers’ 2029 first-round pick
Jazz Acquire
- Jalen Hood-Schifino
- Mavericks’ 2025 second-round pick
- Clippers’ 2025 second-round pick
Fitzpatrick’s Reaction
It has since been reported that the Mavericks were nervous about Doncic’s fitness and lack of availability, but that doesn’t explain why they decided to trade for a 31-year-old, injury-prone seven-footer, plus a later first-round pick that will land them a current high school sophomore.
Ryen Russillo, on an episode of The Bill Simmons podcast, delivered the best quote in the aftermath of the trade, saying, “[Doncic] could’ve been smoking cigarettes bringing the ball up the f—ing court and I would still be like, ‘When can we sign you to the supermax?'”
russillo made me spit out my coffee pic.twitter.com/niEBk4kdC1
— J. Kyle Mann (@jkylemann) February 2, 2025
The Mavericks lost their cornerstone player who could have been built around for the next 10 years. He’s the player that willed them to the finals just eight months ago; the player that has had one of the greatest starts to an NBA career ever.
But they let him go for 30 cents on the dollar. Even Mikal Bridges, a player who has never been selected to the All-Star team or won a title of any kind, was traded this offseason for five first-round picks and Bojan Bogdanovic.
We saw Rudy Gobert get traded for four first-rounders, Patrick Beverley, Walker Kessler, and two other players. Gobert was 30 years old when this trade took place.
29-year-old Paul George was dealt for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, and five first-round picks.
Doncic has just begun his career and is still yet to hit his prime, and the Mavericks have decided to ship him away for literal pennies on the dollar. It makes no sense why they would trade a player of Doncic’s caliber so early, and for such a small haul, especially when you have seen teams overpay drastically for players below his caliber.
Doncic is currently the same age as 2010 LeBron James, 1989 Michael Jordan, 2004 Kobe Bryant, 2002 Tim Duncan, and 2014 Kevin Durant. When comparing where Doncic is now to where these legends of the game were at 25 years old, you can see just how baffling it is that the Mavericks have given up on him.
It is also shocking that the Mavericks decided to keep the deal on the down low and that no other franchises were made aware that a Doncic trade was even possible. It is almost as if the Mavericks were so determined to get Davis that they would do anything (clearly) to acquire him.
Even if the Mavericks had decided that this was the best option for a win-now scenario, how can this be rationalized when Doncic took them to the NBA Finals just a few months ago?
Final.@Chime // #MFFL pic.twitter.com/evlPhl4kKV
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) February 2, 2025
If I were a Mavericks fan, I would not only stop supporting the team, but I would boycott the NBA. I would never watch another game, nor waste any of my time on a franchise that is so incompetent and has pulled off a trade that 29 other teams in the league would not even imagine completing.
It seems that these types of deals and scenarios only ever fall into the lap of the inevitable Lakers, similar to the Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Pau Gasol acquisitions. They are a well-run organization and being a fan must feel like being born on third base. After all, Los Angeles just acquired generational talent in a deal that not even NBA 2K25 would allow (no, seriously).
Time will tell if the Mavericks knew information that nobody else did and dodged a bullet. However, when looking at this deal now, I see no possible scenario in which this doesn’t blow up in their face and go down as one of the worst deals in NBA history.
Three-Team Madness
Aside from the Doncic deal, we saw another blockbuster move take place in a three-team deal between the Spurs, Kings, and Bulls.
Spurs Acquire
- De’Aaron Fox
- Jordan McLaughlin
Kings Acquire
- Zach LaVine
- Sidy Cissoko
- Hornets’ 2025 first-round pick
- Spurs’ 2027 first-round pick
- Timberwolves’ 2031 first-round pick
- Nuggets’ 2025 second-round pick
- Bulls’ 2028 second-round pick
- Kings’ 2028 second-round pick
Bulls Acquire
- Zach Collins
- Tre Jones
- Kevin Huerter
- Bulls’ 2025 first-round pick
Fitzpatrick’s Reaction
When reviewing this trade, there is a lot to break down at first. The Spurs seem to feel that the window for Victor Wembanyama‘s dominance is coming, and it’s coming fast. They knew that they needed to get another star by his side for him to reach his maximum potential.
Do I believe that this deal turns them into a competitor now? No. They are still one piece away, but this is a great start to the Wembanyama tenure.
Wembanyama is already the unanimous best defender in the NBA. He can hit shots from near half-court, and he is 7-foot-6. He truly is an extraterrestrial being, and now that he has a star by his side, he will learn under one of the greatest point guards to ever play the game and possibly the greatest coach to ever grace the game.
How can fans not get excited?
This Spurs team can go down as one of the most exciting in this generation, and it will be interesting to see if Fox can flourish and excel alongside Wembanyama.
Spurs drafted Wembanyama and got him De’Aaron Fox, CP3, Stephon Castle and Harrison Barnes all by year 2. That’s how you build around your young superstar. Other teams need to take notes
— The Hood Therapist (@OhhMar24) February 3, 2025
(I would also like to mention that the Spurs gave up more than the Lakers in the Donic deal, which is baffling.)
When looking at this deal for the Kings and Bulls, one word sums it up perfectly: eh.
The Kings decided to reboot the Lavine and DeRozan duo which failed in Chicago, and both players have gotten older since then. The Kings are addicted to being mediocre, and they achieve mediocrity better than any team in the NBA.
While Lavine has been a solid player this year, there is a reason no team wanted to take on his contract. However, when accounting for the draft picks and the Lavine factor, they could have done worse, and they were able to get a return on Fox rather than losing him in free agency. If you weren’t with them when they were getting knocked out of the play-in, don’t jump on the bandwagon when they lose the play-in this year, either.
Finally, the Bulls are relieved to get rid of that Lavine contract, but in the grand scheme of things, this trade moves them backward to conclude this season. They acquired three solid role players, but I do not see any star looking to sacrifice their career and become “the guy” for an organization that hasn’t done anything since the Jordan days.
When all is said and done, these trades need to be graded, and that is exactly how this article will end.
Trade Grades
Dallas Mavericks: F-
→ I would grade them lower if possible
Los Angeles Lakers: A
Sacramento Kings: C+
San Antonio Spurs: A-
Chicago Bulls: D+
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