In the late hours of Feb. 1, NBA insider Shams Charania announced a trade that sent shockwaves throughout the basketball community. In a shocking deal, the Dallas Mavericks had traded five-time All-NBA star Luka Doncic for another star in four-time All-NBA player Anthony Davis.
With the deal coming out of the blue and almost unbelievable, it was no surprise that many quickly questioned the legitimacy of it. Within the first few minutes of Shams’ announcement, fans took to social media sites to speculate that he had been hacked. However, as more and more sources confirmed the news, it began to set in that the trade was truly legit.
“That night I think I decided to go to sleep early, so I missed the shock of the announcement, but when I woke up, it was pretty unbelievable. That might’ve been one of the last notifications I was expecting to get,” sophomore Daniel Maziak said
Commonly viewed as one of the “untouchables” in the league, Luka Doncic was the cornerstone of the Mavericks’ team. Widely regarded as the best in his position and a generational player, he was able to rack up achievements such as five time NBA All-Star, five time All NBA First Team, Rookie of the Year, and an NBA finals appearance at only 25. It was expected that he was the future of the organization, and trading him would be something unfathomable.
Meanwhile for Anthony Davis, he had formed part of one of the best tandems in the league with superstar LeBron James for the Los Angeles Lakers since his arrival. After becoming an NBA champion in just his first season in LA, he had already cemented himself in Laker history. Considered a defensive phenom and among the best in his position, he was also viewed as a star that was too important to the team to trade.
“Being a Lebron fan, it’s a bit weird to see him finally be the second option on a team. I think it’s the first time in his career where there’s been a player on a team that’s the first option ahead of him, but I think he’s honestly good enough to play any role he wants,” sophomore Jandave Calimlim said.
With a trade of that magnitude, fans have attempted to make sense as to what could have caused Dallas to move on from Doncic at only 25 years old. Reports came out that the deal was done behind closed doors and was kept a secret from the media, in order to avoid outrage from the fans before the trade could be completed. However, it was also reported that it was in fact Dallas that was looking for suiters to trade for Doncic. With Doncic’s fitness recently being a concern for the Mavericks, fans have speculated that they feared his body was already declining in his early years. Looking to quickly cash in, the Mavericks offered Doncic in exchange for another proven star.
The trade has not gone down particularly well with Mavericks fans. With Luka being adored by the fanbase and seen as the crown jewel of the organization, trading him for what many believe is not enough compensation has naturally angered many fans. Calls for Mavericks General Manager, Nico Harrison, to be fired have spread, as protests outside the arena regarding the new management have been held.
“If I was a Mavs fan, I honestly don’t know how I would continue to be a fan of this team. Trading someone as good as Luka is is ridiculous, and I think they’re going to start having trouble getting fans to come to games,” senior Noah Berumen said.
However, the Mavs front office remains adamant that they have put themselves in pole position to compete immediately with a star-studded lineup. By adding experienced and proven pieces, they are well in the running for the NBA championship this year regardless of how their future may seem without Luka.
As for the Lakers, they believe they can build for the future with a star of the next generation. With Doncic being seen as the heir to LeBron after his inevitable retirement or departure, the Lakers believe they have found their new foundation to compete with. Despite this, questions have been raised about how the trade has affected the Lakers in possibly a negative way. By losing a quality big-man such as Anthony Davis, they have made themselves undersized and in desperate need of a new big to fill the void left by Davis. Regardless, Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka remains confident they have enough size in their lineup to compete right now.
“The Lakers defense without Anthony Davis for the most part doesn’t look great. They were already struggling a bit even with him, so without him there it’s going to get even worse. If the Mark Williams trade worked out they’d be fine, but as it is, they’ll struggle,” junior Tom Olivari said.
