There has never been a crazier trade in NBA history than the one that went down tonight. That’s not even a hyperbole. The Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis deal is so unbelievable, so earth-shattering, that the entire NBA world stopped in its tracks to question its legitimacy.
Where can we even begin in breaking it down?
Luka Doncic, when it’s all said and done, has a chance to be a top fifteen player to ever play the sport. He’s a Hall of Famer already at just 25-years-old, an absolutely franchise-altering force. With him on their team, the Mavericks were guaranteed to compete for championships for the next seven years at minimum.
Why on earth would you trade him away? Especially for a package including just one single measly first round pick?
ESPN lead reporter Shams Charania reported that the Mavs approached the Lakers with this deal, meaning Luka likely didn’t request out of Dallas. Therefore, there is only one main plausible explanation at this point in time. Luka has been a durable player overall in his career, but the Mavericks must be seriously concerned with the outlook of their young megastar’s health. He’s had lingering knee problems for a while, with the discomfort dating back to at least last year’s playoffs. The Slovenian also consistently comes into the season with questionable conditioning. Basically, the Mavericks must not believe Luka is physically capable of leading the team to a decade of success.
Now, with a core of Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving, Dallas’ championship window has gone from wide open to barely cracked. The duo of Davis and Irving will be enough to keep the team firmly in the playoffs for at least this year and next, but after that, things could get bleak fast. Their future has gone from one of the brightest in basketball to completely uncertain.
The Lakers, on the other hand, have now secured their next era-defining superstar. Dating back to Jerry West in the 60s, LA has almost always had an all-time great player at the helm. There’s something about that Hollywood magic that attracts the greats. Ending up with Luka Doncic out of absolute nowhere is probably their greatest pull yet. When LeBron (sadly) retires in the next couple years, Los Angeles will be able to not only remain extremely relevant but also extremely competitive. They’re set, it’s as simple as that.
Seeing Luka playing next to LeBron will be so awesome. When else has a top three player ever played with a future GOAT candidate? Their fit together on the court could be slightly clunky as both are ball-dominant playmakers, but it will be fun to watch regardless. Plus, the greats always figure things out.
Are the Lakers championship contenders now? Hot take: no. LA’s supporting cast is pretty underwhelming. They’ll need guys like Jaxson Hayes and Gabe Vincent to make MASSIVE contributions and that just doesn’t seem likely.
Now is not the time for basketball discussion, though. This trade and its implications transcend what happens on the court. It’s also mind-blowing in every sense of the word.
More commentary to come on this deal. Goodnight, NBA fans.
The Bench Mob Blog 