A ton of major trades happened this deadline. But the one that sticks out the most is the Luka Doncic trade. In fact a lot of people are saying this is the biggest and most shocking trade in NBA history. The deal was between three teams, the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, and Utah Jazz. The Lakers received Luka Doncic, Maxi Koehler, and Markieff Morris; the Mavericks received Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick, and the Jazz received Jalen Hood-Schifino and two 2025 second-round picks.
This deal could only be made with three teams, which is why the Jazz were involved. Some people wondered why the Jazz would let this trade go through because the Lakers seem overpowered now. But the Jazz’s general manager, Justin Zanik, said, “Obviously, Rob Pelinka even said it in his press conference introducing Luka, that it was a gift. And I think that’s how a lot of my colleagues — don’t want to speak for them — but how we all kind of felt.” This means that Zanik didn’t even know Doncic was a part of the deal, and a ton of general managers feel that the Lakers were given a “gift”.
So this probably makes you wonder, if so many other general managers are saying this is a terrible trade, why would the Mavericks accept it? Well the Mavericks general manager, Nico Harrison, said, “We really felt like we got ahead of what was going to be a tumultuous summer, him being eligible for the super max and also a year away from him being able to opt out of any contract.” Harrison and the Mavericks weren’t interested in giving Doncic a max contract, which doesn’t make sense to me because Doncic is a top three player in the league and one of the Mavericks best players of all time. The Mavericks have only been to the finals three times, twice with Dirk Nowitski, and once with Doncic. On top of this, at the time of the trade Doncic was the league’s leading scorer per game. Harrison also did express nervousness about Doncic being able to opt out of his contract in a year. But I don’t think Doncic had any thoughts of leaving Dallas because he recently bought a home there. History also shows that foreign superstars typically stay loyal to their teams. For example, Hakeem Olajuwon stayed with the Houston Rockets throughout his prime, Nikola Jokic has been with the Nuggets his whole career, and Nowitzki stayed with the Mavericks his whole career.
This trade was so upsetting for Maverick fans that they held a funeral for Doncic outside of the arena and chanted. There have been a bunch of theories from professional analysts saying that Doncic was traded because of his weight and locker room issues. Others have said that this trade is bigger than basketball, and that the team owners are responsible for this trade going through so more money can be made. Overall, I think that the Lakers definitely won this trade.
