by Cameron Moore (7th)
No one saw this coming. Literally.
Not long after midnight EST, on the early morning of Saturday, February 1st, ESPN’s main NBA insider, Shams Charania, reported what might as well be the biggest trade in sports history. Here are the full details:
Lakers receive:
Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, Markieff Morris
Mavericks receive:
Anthony Davis, Max Christie, 2029 1st rd. pick
Jazz receive:
Jalen Hood-Schifino, 2 2025 2nd rd. picks
The sports world couldn’t believe their eyes, and some players even posted on X and other social media platforms, thinking that Shams’ X account was hacked.
But no, it was real. And it has made a lot of people angry.
ESPN did a full-length article about how and why the trade happened (I’d highly recommend it), but here are some of the main points from the article.
The main reason that this trade came out of nowhere was because it was a secret until it was announced to the world. Sources say that not even Luka or Davis were informed ahead of time. However, the secrecy also inflicted anger in GM’s across the association, who were unhappy with Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison for not giving them an opportunity to get Luka.
However, Harrison and LA Lakers GM Rob Pelinka have trusted each other for a long time, due to their links to the late great (and Lower Merion student) Kobe Bryant, as they helped Bryant achieve a shoe deal with Nike in 2003, staying close to Bryant until his tragic crash in 2020. The two GM’s, having been close for so long, understood quickly that this trade could not reach the public, and they had a solid case to do this.
If a huge, controversial, blockbuster trade were to reach the public, it could be detrimental to the trade actually happening. Throughout recent NBA history, there is a decent list of blockbuster trades that have been heavily impacted (or, in some cases, don’t even happen) by outside forces. Harrison and Pelinka were smart in knowing that if this trade reached the public, the backlash would be astronomical, to the point where the two could’ve been forced to veto it.
However, Doncic’s habits could be one of the factors to blame. He has a long history with habits that the Mavericks organization does not approve of. However, even with his habits, he is still putting up incredible performances when he is available. So, other than missing games, the Mavs, in my opinion, should have not been concerned with his weight.
There was also another big thought in Harrison’s mind: the supermax extension. Doncic is in the last year of his contract, and we know that he will sign a supermax extension, likely the largest in league history, this summer. "I feel like we got out in front of what could have been a tumultuous summer," Harrison later commented in an interview.
But, ownership and decision-making duties in the franchise have shifted since Doncic was drafted in 2018. Long-time Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban sold his majority stake to the Adelson family in late 2023, and gave Patrick Dumont leadership in the franchise.
Never in a million years would Cuban trade Luka Doncic. However, Dumont didn’t have links to Doncic that were as tight as Cuban’s. Reportedly, Dumont was concerned about the supermax extension having long-term effects on the team’s finances. Plus, he agreed with Harrison’s view of Davis and a potentially defensive-minded team.
Harrison, like Dumont, has never had the closest links to Doncic, compared to others in the organization.
So, what do I think of this trade? At this moment, I think it was a Lakers victory. They got a 25-year old Luka Doncic, who is entering the prime of his career, for a 32-year old Anthony Davis. While Davis is also a superstar, he is clearly aging and is starting to reach the end of his prime.
Even with the Lakers’ new gaping hole in their defense, they should still feel comfortable with their new star that will help them out well in the post-LeBron era. However, time will tell if Doncic can keep up his offensive production in LA or if Harrison’s defensive-minded tactics will work out in the big D.
Regardless of the end product, this is a trade that will forever change NBA history, one way or another.
Sources:
Luka Doncic to Lakers, Anthony Davis to Mavs in 3-team trade - ESPN