The Luka trade is likely the most surprising in NBA history.
Luka for AD.
What the hell?
In a shocking trade, the Dallas Mavericks sent Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick. The Utah Jazz also participated, acquiring Jalen Hood-Schifino and two 2025 second-round picks.
I think we all thought Shams's account got hacked - that’s how shocking this is.
After it was confirmed, my initial reaction was, “who in their right mind would trade a generational talent like Luka?”
Elite scorer, elite passer, solid rebounder. 25 years young. But Dallas GM Nico Harrison did it, despite Luka taking a lowly (to decent) Mavs team to the WCF and NBA Finals last season. This led me to wonder just how much of a pain in the ass Luka is for him to be traded?
Conditioning Issues
The organization is saying they’re concerned about his conditioning, potentially leading to more injuries. Fair point. He’s played only 22 games this season. Maybe they don’t want to do the Pelicans/Zion thing? Also fair.
He has gone from this:
To this:
Rumors are swirling around that he’s ballooned to 260-270 pounds. That’s a lot of beef to carry in an NBA game—especially a high-usage player.
Defensive/Financial Issues
Secondly, he’s a liability on defense. Sure, you can hide him a bit in the regular season but when it gets turned up in the playoffs everyone is hunting him. Look at how the Celtics targeted him in the Finals. I think he can play better defense than what we see, but he’s out of shape and likely conserves his energy for offense. Not exactly a coach’s ideal player.
There’s also the looming financial commitment of a super-max contract which would have some influence. Maybe the Mavs didn’t want to pay ~$350 million and basically commit to a player they believed to lack proper professionalism.
Questionable Return
Maybe Nico forgot they were in the Finals last year? Surprising to not let your guy run it back one more time. And to just ship out all of his ability, accolades, stats, records, youth, offense, and playmaking for a player like Anthony Davis, who is made of glass and is 32 years old, plus Max Christie and a 2029 pick? Are you kidding me!? There were zero rumblings about a potential Luka trade. Why didn’t the Mavs shop their franchise player around some more? Did he just simply take the first “All-Star + other guy” offer he was given? Could that be a measure of how badly he wanted to get rid of Doncic?
There must be more going on that we don’t know about for the front office to get rid of him like that. I’m sure stuff will leak out over the coming months.
New Look in LA and Dallas
AD is great (when healthy). He’s getting you 25 PPG with 12 boards, while protecting the rim every single night. He can move into the 4, which is his preference, with Gafford/Lively at the 5. That’s a big frontcourt anchored by AD and his defensive prowess. Kyrie and AD are gonna be nice to watch on offense. Add in Klay and PJ Washington and you got yourself a nice team that plays both sides of the ball. Currently in 9th in the Western Conference, this team now has an opportunity to move up in the standings and potentially make a run. While this trade might be good in the short term, I do think the Mavs should’ve gotten more out of the Luka deal with better long-term prospects.
As for the Lakers. They needed a stud. Los Angeles needed a new star. LeBron is a dying star. A white dwarf headed for a black hole. That's physics. It's inevitable…And they got their star.
Luka is returning to the court soon. Will he have an immediate impact on the Lakers, who are 5th in the West? He’ll probably spin some Luka Magic like he usually does, but it’ll take a little time for LA to adjust. I never thought these two would actually be on a team together. Here’s the thing; Luka idolized LeBron and LeBron loves Luka. Maybe, just maybe, Luka will learn from LeBron, who has quite possibly been the healthiest and most durable athlete of all time, in any sport. Maybe we’ll see Luka take his body/health more seriously and spend lots of money on his recovery and wellness, as King James does.
I believe we will see these two teams in the playoffs - if they are seeded against each other, even better!
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