Late last night, ESPN reporter Shams Charania broke the news that the Dallas Mavericks had traded Luka Dončić (along with two other players) to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a first-round pick.
Dončić is a consensus top-three player in the NBA, and he’s only just entering his prime years. He played on the first roster at Real Madrid at 16 years old and was a EuroLeague champion and MVP at 19 years old. Now he’s 25 years old and the league’s premier playoff closer — often branded as the “owner” and “father” of the Phoenix Suns and Minnesota Timberwolves player Rudy Gobert. Last season, with a scrappy yet inferior team, he led the Mavericks through the Western Conference to their first finals berth since 2011. Here’s what the trade tells us about the future of the NBA:
- The Mavericks intend to contend for two years and then fully rebuild in the next two to five years.
Davis will be able to play the four, or even the three, in some lineups with both Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford. That offers real versatility against the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Denver Nuggets. The Mavericks will be a switchable defensive team and will be relevant in the Western Conference for this season.
Maybe the Mavericks look at teams like the San Antonio Spurs or the Thunder and gulp, desiring a full reset to rebuild their team in the mold of the second apron, which functions as a hard cap on player salaries. It is true that Dončić’s supermax contract extension is looming. But reports show that he didn’t request a trade, and given their recent finals berth, it’s unlikely he wanted a change of scenery. So while it is understandable that the organization wanted to cash in before he walked in free agency, maybe the Mavericks intend to use both Davis and Kyrie Irving as pieces to salvage draft capital before they too try becoming true contenders.
- Dončić may have a degenerative injury trajectory.
If the Mavericks knew that his calf injury is degenerative, offloading Dončić before the league will know may have utility. Nobody wants to be stuck with injury-prone stars like Joel Embiid, but until further information comes out, this is a matter of speculation.
However, I’m suspicious of this because Davis, despite becoming more resistant to injuries, shouldn’t be considered a safer player than Dončić.
- The Lakers have a new future and a lifeline out of the LeBron James matrix.
I’m really sorry to Mavericks fans. I’m so sorry that your front office is stupid. As a Lakers fan, I will never forget your sacrifice to our great cause. Maybe just join us in fandom and together we will rule the galaxy. Dončić is the one. He is an epoch-defining player with whom a dynasty will be born. The Mavericks have pissed away their future. I cannot help but grin.
Once LeBron retires and that whole circus dies, the Lakers are positioned for the long term. General Manager Rob Pelinka may misstep sometimes, but this trade was his doing. For weeks, he discreetly orchestrated the trade, manipulating Mavericks General Manager Nico Harrison while guarding the franchise’s assets. After this season, if LeBron wants to leave, he can waive his no-trade clause in exchange for draft capital.
