On Saturday, Feb. 1 2025, at 9:12 p.m., the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association shocked the sports world by trading away one of their greatest assets — superstar guard Luka Doncic — to the Los Angeles Lakers. Fans of the NBA blew up the internet, dubbing it the “worst move in NBA history.” In return, the Lakers traded away a major defensive asset of theirs — Anthony Davis, 10-time NBA all-star and Olympic gold medalist.
This trade not only majorly impacts the futures of the involved teams, but also of the entirety of the NBA. In acquiring Doncic, the Lakers now have two NBA superstars, the other being LeBron James, and James is consistently in contention for the title of greatest player of all time. This sets the Lakers up to excel in the league, and be championship contenders for years to come.
The Mavericks, however, seem to be in a completely different scenario. Davis is certainly an asset, but he is also turning 32 years old in March 2025 and is extremely injury-prone; he is, as of Sunday, March 2, out indefinitely due to left adductor strain. The Mavericks’ recent success, which includes four playoff appearances and a trip to the NBA championship finals, can be largely attributed to their former superstar Doncic. Adding a defensive star like Davis is simply not worth the price that the Mavericks had to pay. FHS junior and basketball fan Arnav Prasad criticized the Mavericks’ decision.
‘They almost won with Luka [Doncic] last year,” Prasad said. “Now they’re never going to win.”
Nico Harrison, the general manager of the Mavericks, was responsible for the trade and is now receiving rampant criticism. The Mavericks had to increase security for him over death threats he received after the trade went through. Despite the backlash, he stood by his decision, and thoroughly defended it in a press conference the day after the trade was made official.
“We really believed in it,” Harrison said. “Time will tell if I’m right.”
Following the blockbuster trade, snippets of news regarding the finer details were released. Reportedly, the trade talk was not allowed to expand beyond the two teams, meaning other NBA teams never got the opportunity to bid higher prices for the young star. Mavericks fans held a fake funeral for the team outside their home court, grieving the loss of their superstar — and their chances at winning a championship in the near future.
This trade brings attention to the intricacies of the NBA. Viewer projections have gone up, giving way to the theory that this was a move planned by the NBA to increase viewership.
It also sheds light on Doncic’s conditioning issues. The Mavericks report that Doncic gained up to 30 pounds over the offseason and his injury breaks, which they believed would hinder his performance. However, in the few games he has played with the Lakers, his performance seems to be approaching the kind that the league has previously seen from him. FHS junior and avid Lakers fan Rohan Kaura shared his views on the matter.
“People really believed that Luka might be washed,” Kaura said. “We [the Lakers] are winning the championship.”
Fans believe that with Doncic sharing the responsibility of carrying the Lakers, James could add a few more years to his career — extending his legacy and solidifying himself as the G.O.A.T.
As for the Mavericks, with superstar point guard, and arguably the best player on their team, Kyrie Irving out for the rest of the season with an ACL tear, their future looks extremely grim.
