The Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks have just completed one of the biggest (and craziest) deals in NBA history. Luka Doncic, the perennial MVP candidate who led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals last season, is headed to the Lakers to join LeBron James. Anthony Davis, the superstar big man averaging 25.7 points and 11.9 rebounds per game in arguably the best season of his career, is headed to Dallas to pair up with Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson.
Not a single person could have expected a deal like this could close so late on the weekend, let alone after the Lakers came up with an impressive victory over the New York Knicks on Saturday night.
For those wondering what might have set this deal in motion, Mavericks GM Nico Harrison explained why they decided to trade their 25-year-old franchise star:
“I believe that defense wins championships,” Mavs GM Nico Harrison told ESPN regarding his motivation to trade Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis. “I believe that getting an All-Defensive center and an All-NBA player with a defensive mindset gives us a better chance. We’re built to win now and in the future.”
To add to that, according to Tim MacMahon, it seems that the Mavericks do not believe Luka can be the role model and franchise star we think he can be with a five-year, $345 million supermax contract looming:
“The Mavs had major concerns about moving forward with Luka Doncic due to his constant conditioning issues and the looming commitment of another supermax contract extension this summer, sources told ESPN.”
For the Lakers, they made a deal they had to make. LeBron James is 40 years old and won’t be getting younger, and keeping their future in the hands of an injury-prone Anthony Davis could have made the franchise nervous. Instead of waiting to see, they made another iconic move in their history to give LeBron James a new superstar running mate.
The deal is done, whether fans of either franchise like it or not and we have a grade for every party involved in arguably the biggest and most unexpected trades in NBA history. Disclaimer: we won’t be pulling any punches on this one.
Los Angeles Lakers: A+
The Lakers may have just pulled off the biggest heist in franchise history, usurping the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Pau Gasol deals from the past. Despite sitting at 28-19, their championship odds weren’t inspiring confidence—especially with powerhouses like Boston and Oklahoma City looking dominant on both ends of the floor.
LeBron James is 40 years old, and relying on an injury-prone Anthony Davis to carry the franchise post-LeBron wasn’t exactly a reassuring plan. Now, the Lakers have found their next generational superstar in Luka Doncic, a player who guarantees contention for the next decade.
Of course, losing Davis throws off the team’s chemistry in the short term. The Lakers were built around his defensive presence, and removing him creates a massive hole in their frontcourt, especially since Jaxson Hayes isn’t exactly the ideal starting center for a title-contending team. We expect the Lakers to make more moves, but until then, their starting lineup has some issues.
Max Christie’s departure also stings, given his growth this season, but the Lakers won’t care. Players like Doncic are generational talents, and when one becomes available, you do whatever it takes to land him. Even if it means shaking up a team that was starting to find its rhythm.
The Lakers are taking a calculated risk here, betting that Doncic and LeBron can form a dominant duo once Luka returns from injury. It won’t be seamless—Doncic plays a ball-dominant style, and LeBron will need to adjust—but this is the type of swing that legendary franchises take. The Lakers now have their post-LeBron era secured, and even if they don’t win a title this year, their future is brighter than ever.
Dallas Mavericks: D
What are the Mavericks doing? This is a franchise that just made the NBA Finals last year and was in a position to make another deep playoff run once Luka returned. Instead, they sent their 25-year-old franchise player packing for an older, more injury-prone superstar in Anthony Davis.
Sure, Davis is an All-NBA big man having an excellent season, but he comes with a troubling injury history and durability concerns. Pairing him with Kyrie Irving, who has also struggled to stay healthy, and an aging Klay Thompson doesn’t exactly scream long-term security.
The logic behind this deal—focusing on defense—sounds good on paper, but in reality, it’s hard to justify trading away a generational offensive talent like Doncic. GM Nico Harrison’s belief that “defense wins championships” makes sense, but Luka literally just led this team to the Finals despite his defensive shortcomings.
Moving on from him because of conditioning concerns and a looming supermax extension feels reactionary at best and catastrophic at worst. Luka is 25—his conditioning can be improved, but you can’t teach what he does on the offensive end.
Mavericks fans have every reason to feel sick about this deal. They’ve watched Dirk Nowitzki stay with the franchise for 21 seasons, and Luka was on track to be their next all-time great. Now, they’re left hoping that Davis stays healthy and that this new core can somehow replicate last season’s success.
The odds aren’t in their favor. Losing a franchise cornerstone for a short-term gamble is one of the most shocking moves in NBA history—and unless this team wins a championship soon, it will be remembered as one of the worst.
Anthony Davis: B-
For Anthony Davis, this trade is a double-edged sword. On one hand, he was clearly under a ton of pressure in Los Angeles—he was supposed to be the bridge between the LeBron era and the Lakers’ future, but the front office wasn’t willing to risk it.
Now, he gets a fresh start in Dallas, where he’ll no longer be expected to carry an aging superstar on his back. He’s wanted to play power forward rather than center for years, and now, with Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II in Dallas, he finally gets that opportunity.
However, this trade also puts Davis under a different kind of pressure. In Los Angeles, the spotlight was always on LeBron—now, in Dallas, Davis will be the centerpiece of a team that just made the Finals.
The Mavericks are betting on him being their defensive anchor, but he has to prove he can stay healthy enough to make that impact consistently. The West is loaded with elite big men like Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, and Chet Holmgren, and Davis will need to stay on the floor to give the Mavericks a chance against them.
Davis might also feel slighted by the Lakers moving on from him although he was having one of the best seasons of his career. He played a massive role in their 2020 championship and was still dominant this season, yet the front office decided they’d rather build around Doncic instead. It’s a reminder that the NBA is a business—Davis now has a chance to prove the Lakers made a mistake by leading Dallas back to the Finals. Whether he can do it is another question entirely.
Luka Doncic: C
Luka Doncic just went from being the face of the Dallas Mavericks to stepping into the brightest spotlight in NBA history. While he was on track to become the greatest player in Mavs history, surpassing even Dirk Nowitzki would have been an uphill battle. Now, he joins the most storied franchise in the league, with an opportunity to cement his legacy in Lakers lore.
However, this isn’t necessarily a dream scenario for Luka. The Mavericks were fresh off a Finals appearance, and while the team had flaws, they were still in a position to compete. Now, he’s walking into a gutted Lakers roster that lacks the depth and structure that made Dallas so dangerous.
Doncic will have to adjust quickly, and that won’t be easy. He’s used to having the ball in his hands for the majority of games, dictating every offensive possession. That changes now. Playing alongside LeBron James, one of the most ball-dominant players in NBA history, will require sacrifices.
While LeBron has adapted his game for star teammates before, it remains to be seen how seamlessly their styles can mesh. In Dallas, Luka was the undisputed leader. In L.A., he’ll have to navigate the complicated dynamic of sharing the floor with a living legend while trying to establish himself as the franchise’s future.
Another immediate issue for Doncic is that his best chance at winning another Finals was probably in Dallas. While he was carrying a massive load there, he had Kyrie Irving as a secondary scoring option and a system built around his strengths.
The Lakers, on the other hand, have given up Anthony Davis and key role players, leaving them with major holes on both ends of the floor. The burden of carrying this team to contention will be immense. If Luka thought the pressure in Dallas was high, he hasn’t seen anything yet—this is Hollywood, and expectations will be sky-high from day one.
Out of all the superstars in this deal, Luka arguably loses the most in the short term. It has to hurt as well that the franchise that worked hard to draft him No. 3 overall could turn around and trade him suddenly due to a lack of belief in his work ethic and leadership. Doncic will be packing his bags to go to Los Angeles with some hard feelings and confusion as to how this came about.
LeBron James: B
LeBron James reportedly didn’t see this trade coming, but now he has to embrace it. At 40 years old, he knows his window for winning another championship is closing fast.
While Anthony Davis gave him an elite defensive presence and a championship-winning partner, he was also an injury risk. The Lakers front office clearly decided that if they were going to shake things up, they needed a generational talent who could carry the torch for the franchise moving forward. Luka Doncic is that guy.
But does this trade actually improve LeBron’s short-term title chances? That’s where things get complicated. The Lakers are now extremely thin in the frontcourt. Jaxson Hayes is currently the best big man on the roster, which is a massive drop-off from Davis’ elite defense and rebounding.
LeBron has always thrived with a dominant big man next to him, from Chris Bosh and Kevin Love to Davis, and now he’ll have to play in a lineup where size and rim protection are huge concerns. This puts even more pressure on him to carry the defensive load while adjusting to Luka’s ball-dominant playstyle.
Still, this trade doesn’t change LeBron’s legacy—he’s already a certified all-time great. But it does change how his final years in the league might look.
Instead of riding out his career with Davis and hoping for one last title push, he’s now tasked with helping Luka transition into being the face of the Lakers. Whether he embraces that role or struggles with the shift in team dynamics remains to be seen. Either way, this move will define the rest of LeBron’s time in the NBA, for better or worse.
Kyrie Irving: C-
Kyrie Irving just lost his best shot at winning another championship. The chemistry he built with Luka Doncic last season was undeniable, culminating in a trip to the NBA Finals. While the Mavericks ultimately fell short against the Celtics, they proved they had the foundation of a legitimate title contender.
With Luka gone, Irving now faces the task of leading this team without the luxury of an MVP-caliber superstar beside him. Instead of being the second option on a team that could realistically compete for a ring, he’s now expected to be the leader of an entirely new era in Dallas.
The good news? He gets a chance to form a dominant inside-out duo with Anthony Davis, a pairing that has shades of the legendary Shaq-Kobe dynamic. In theory, their skill sets complement each other—Kyrie’s elite shot creation and ball handling, combined with Davis’ ability to dominate the paint on both ends, could make for a dangerous combination.
But the problem is, Kyrie hasn’t proven he can be “that guy” since leaving Cleveland. Including his failed stint in Boston, the drama-filled Brooklyn saga, or even his initial struggles in Dallas before last year’s Finals run, Irving has yet to show he can consistently lead a team deep into the postseason.
There’s also the matter of expectations. The Mavericks didn’t just trade Luka; they traded away their identity. Now, everything hinges on whether Irving can elevate his game to a level he hasn’t consistently reached in years.
Losing Luka is a gut punch, and there’s no doubt Kyrie will feel that loss as the season progresses. He wanted a chance to prove that his partnership with Doncic could bring a title to Dallas. Instead, he’s left picking up the pieces of a franchise that made a shocking bet on its future. If Irving wants to prove he’s still an elite winner, this is the ultimate test.
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