Grading Blockbuster Luka Dončić, Anthony Davis NBA Trade Between Lakers, Mavericks
What just happened?!
Late Saturday, as the NBA wrapped up what felt like another run-of-the-mill slate of nightly basketball, ESPN's Shams Charania broke what has to be the weirdest, most surprising news of the Twitter/X era of sports coverage.
Yes, you read that right.
Luka Dončić is headed to the Los Angeles Lakers.
No, there was no indication that this, or anything like it, was on the way.
The news was so hard to believe that Shams had to head back to his account to assure those of us who thought he may have been hacked:
"Yes, this is real."
It's going to take us years—literally years—to try to wrap our heads around this deal, but it obviously demands an immediate reaction.
And that's what we have for you in the form of grades for everyone involved.
Los Angeles Lakers: A+++++
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At the outset, there's just no way to look at this deal from L.A.'s perspective as anything but a resounding, colossal, slam dunk of a win.
They traded a soon-to-be-32-year-old, oft-injured big man for a soon-to-be-26-year-old perennial MVP candidate who just carried his team to the NBA Finals.
And they did it for a trade package that is truly difficult to believe is real.
THE LAKERS GOT LUKA DONČIĆ AND ONLY GAVE UP ONE FIRST-ROUND PICK.
Huh?
Five years ago, the Los Angeles Clippers gave up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, five first-round picks and two pick swaps for Paul George. Two years ago, the Phoenix Suns gave up multiple rotation players (Cameron Johnson and Mikal Bridges) and four first-rounders for then-34-year-old Kevin Durant. Not long after that, the Milwaukee Bucks got Damian Lillard for a package that included three first-round picks.
And again, L.A. just got Luka in his prime for one.
Yes, AD is a great player, but this collection of assets feels like pennies on whatever dollar several other teams could've offered.
Think about how many future picks the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs and Utah Jazz have. There's just no way there was open bidding on this.
And of course, that's not the Lakers' problem. They'll gladly take the win. And that's exactly what this is.
Luka has played six total seasons. He's made First Team All-NBA five times. He's already in the top 50 all-time in career MVP shares.
Landing a player of this caliber in his mid-20s for a past-his-prime non-playmaker, a young player you've already declined a team option on (Jalen Hood-Schifino), a semi-intriguing young wing (Max Christie) and ONE first-round pick is mind-blowing.
Five plus signs in that subheading probably aren't even enough.
Dallas Mavericks: F
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It feels like fans and media personalities all over the internet and TV are trying to sort through a deeper, more complicated mystery than Mark S. is chasing in Severance.
This truly just doesn't make sense.
At least, not right now.
In the immediate aftermath of the news breaking, ESPN's Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon both mentioned the Mavericks' concerns over Luka's conditioning. MacMahon added that Dallas "felt like [Luka's commitment to the organization] wasn't strong in a lot of ways."
And it sounds like that lack of commitment was mutual.
Evidently, per Windhorst and MacMahon, the Mavericks weren't sure if the upcoming supermax they'd have to offer him would be a wise investment.
General manager Nico Harrison tried to sell it another way.
"I believe that defense wins championships," Harrison told MacMahon of the deal. "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."
*In my most Mark Jackson voice* With all due respect, those explanations just aren't going to cut it.
NBA superstars have been notoriously difficult to deal with for decades. Organizations that figure out how to push through that are the ones that win titles. Heck, the Lakers once had to rebuff a pretty serious trade request from Kobe Bryant.
And obviously, AD is a better defender than Luka, but "defense wins championships" could've applied to the supporting cast with which Dallas surrounded him.
This season, the Mavericks are allowing 110.3 points per 100 possessions with Luka on the floor, a defensive rating that ranks in the 81st percentile.
Defensive anchors are easier to find than once-in-a-generation offensive hubs. From a basketball perspective, there's just no way to sell this as a positive for Dallas.
And on top of that, if the Mavs were going to entertain moving a talent of this level (as they obviously did), a totally unforeseen, middle-of-the-night deal after seemingly one offer is mind-boggling. Windhorst told SportsCenter that executives and agents from all over the league were blowing up his phone trying to figure out why Dallas did this.
There are four and a half days till the trade deadline. If the Mavericks told even a handful of potential suitors that Luka might be available, a massive bidding war would've broken out. There's just no possible way this was the best deal the team could've gotten between now and mid-Thursday.
Sure, Dallas can put on a tough face and insist that it's committed to winning a championship. But just about every future scenario here involves Mavericks fans looking back on this night and wondering, "Why?!"
Utah Jazz: D+
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Actually, at least one other team knew what was going on. The Utah Jazz had to, since they were the third team brought in to facilitate this blockbuster.
And what they got for their troubles was Hood-Schifino, who may not be in the NBA next season, and a couple of second-round picks.
That leads us, again, to "Why?!"
Utah is one of those teams that has a mountain of draft picks, young talent and movable veterans. If it knew Luka was available, why didn't it offer some or all of that?
The answer could be, "They did." There could've been some messaging from Luka's camp that he only wanted to go to the Lakers (though veteran reporter Marc Stein is already saying that Luka didn't request a trade).
Whatever the case may be, Utah acquiring a couple of second-rounders it wouldn't have otherwise had is fine.
But this still feels like a missed opportunity.
The Jazz have been searching for a bona fide, No. 1 star since they started their own rebuild by trading Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell three years ago. They got Lauri Markkanen, who appears to be a very capable No. 2, in the Mitchell deal, but they still need their alpha.
The European one-two punch of Dončić and Markkanen could've had the team back in the playoff hunt as early as next season.
But again, maybe that was just never a possibility. In which case, helping one of the franchise's biggest and oldest rivals land an all-time great is, well, passable? Maybe?
I guess it at least saves them from getting the F.
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