The sports world was shocked when news came through on Feb. 1 that Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic had been traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in a three-team deal which also sent Anthony Davis to the Mavs in return. In this week’s edition of Point/Counterpoint, campus correspondents Patrick Minnerly and Jake Loomis answer the question everyone’s wondering: who won the trade, and what does it all mean?
Patrick Minnerly: Lakers
There’s no doubt about it; the Los Angeles Lakers won this trade, and they won it handily. I’m not sure what the Mavericks were thinking, but Los Angeles essentially committed highway robbery and got away with it. In return for sending Doncic – and two other players – to the Lakers, the Mavs received a 31-year-old Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick. That is a pitiful return for giving away a superstar in his prime who got his team to the NBA Finals last season. By all appearances, the Mavs didn’t even publicize that Doncic was available, missing out on the opportunity to start a bidding war, which would surely have brought more draft capital to Dallas. Sure, David is now a Maverick, but he’s an aging star who has had an extensive history of injuries. Doncic has faced his fair share of injuries, too – he’s been out since December with a calf strain – but he’s just 25 years old.
Adding Davis may add more defense to the Mavs – that was Dallas’ general manager Nico Harrison’s prime justification for the trade, as he said defense wins championships – yet that championship window is already closing fast. Shipping off Doncic leaves the Mavs with three major pieces over 30: AD, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson. That’s not a formula for long-term winning, and since Luka battled hard against an almost unbeatable Celtics squad in last year’s Finals, the Mavs need to win the whole thing if they want to justify this trade.
Meanwhile, the Lakers have secured LeBron James’ successor as the face of the franchise. They have a new star to build around, and they had to give up relatively little. Even if Doncic doesn’t live up to his regular All-NBA standard with LA, the Lakers won’t miss anything. They won a title with Lebron and AD in 2020, but since then, playoff success has been few and far between. Adding Doncic gives them a fresh chance at creating a championship team. Regardless of whether the star will make a significant impact this season, given his injury, he has many more years of elite play in him.
The most important part of this deal, though, may be the intangibles. Doncic was raised in the NBA as a Maverick after he signed with them at just 19 years old, and he meant everything to the fanbase. He brought electricity and heart to Dallas, and now he has been moved to the Lakers, who will benefit from the allure of that star power. There are some trades that steal a team’s soul, and this will be one of them.
Jake Loomis: Mavericks
The Anthony Davis and Luka Doncic trade will go down as one of the most surprising trades in NBA history. Many speculate who won the trade, but there is only one true answer. The Mavs won the trade purely due to one thing and it’s called balance. Not to say that Doncic will not be great with the Lakers, but Dallas now has a starting five that fits and makes sense. They will have their star Kyrie Irving at the one and Klay Thompson at the two. Filling out the three will be PJ Washington, who is an underrated player. Davis will hold the four as he comes over from LA and he will make an immediate impact. The five will be held down by Dereck Lively who should be a great piece to complement the team. They now will have better defense, and even though you lose Doncic, you can play more efficiently with less iso ball. The Mavericks will also now have more draw to the middle as more teams will focus on Davis in their gameplan, which will open cuts for Washington. This move will also free up Klay Thompson, making him more of a spot up shooter who will be lethal when left open. Teams will have to decide what they want to do, leave Davis on one, or potentially give away a wide-open three. This is the most interesting team because this could either blow up for Dallas or be a glowing success as they look to get back to the NBA finals.