On Saturday, Feb. 1st, the world was stunned to learn that global superstar and Mavericks forward Luka Doncic had been traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for All-NBA power forward Anthony Davis, guard Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick. This was a huge part of the blockbuster trade involving the Mavericks, Lakers, and Utah Jazz.
The move is a shock to all as Doncic is still just 25 years of age and had taken the Dallas Mavericks to their first NBA Finals appearance since 2011. Doncic was perceived as the Dallas franchise cornerstone that the Mavericks would build around for the next 10 years. In his young career, Doncic has already accomplished so much; he’s been first-team All-NBA five times, he’s a five-time all-star, and he holds the third-highest career scoring average ever (28.6).
So, the question everyone is asking is why? Why do this now? Why trade a 25-year-old who is widely regarded as a top 5 player in the NBA?
Reports came out that the Mavericks and their General Manager Nico Harrison were concerned with Doncic’s conditioning and commitment to staying in shape. This upcoming summer, Doncic was eligible for a supermax contract extension worth up to $345 million. Harrison seems to have felt that the investment in Doncic wouldn’t be worth it because of concerns about his conditioning, despite Doncic leading them to the finals less than a year ago.
It was reported that Dallas only approached the Lakers about trading Doncic and no other team in the NBA as they were dead set on targeting Davis to get in return for the 25-year-old superstar.
While Davis is still one of the best players in the world, this shortens Dallas’s championship window by roughly eight years as they are now building around two players who have both had injury concerns in the past and aren’t getting any younger. Dallas has to capitalize on this move now, or they will regret it for years to come.
Meanwhile, the Lakers have now shifted towards the future as they now have a 25-year-old superstar in Doncic and can build around him for the next 10 years. While Doncic isn’t even in his prime yet, he also gets to learn from LeBron James. Under James’s wing, Doncic can learn how to keep himself healthy and learn what it takes to win championships. Not only is Los Angeles set up for the future, but the Lakers could potentially make a run for a championship now with the new duo of James and Doncic.
Only time will tell how this catastrophic move will play out, but it seems that Los Angeles will have much more time to capitalize on it than Dallas.
Preston Palm is a fourth-year communication major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
