Paul George Thought Luka Dončić Was 'Untradable' Before Lakers, Anthony Davis Deal

Count Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George among those who shared the shock of NBA fans everywhere when the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis.

George said Wednesday he thought Dončić and San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama were "probably the two most untradable players in the league."

"No way a organization trades away a franchise player like that, a one-of-a-kind diamond in the rough," he said.

That about sums up the reaction across the board.

Only in incredibly rare exceptions do NBA teams move a star player of this caliber when he's in his prime years. Davis' trade to the Lakers was one such example, but that was at least foreshadowed months in advance after he made it clear he wasn't going to re-sign with the New Orleans Pelicans.

In the case of Dončić, there was nothing to indicate he'd decline the five-year, $345 million supermax extension Dallas could've offered him this summer. In addition, it's only coming out now, after the deal was completed, that the Mavs had some reservations about paying him that much money.

Like George, Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo said he was taken aback upon learning of the Luka trade and assumed it might've been "fake news." For him, the transaction was a reminder that "nobody's safe" from being jettisoned in the NBA.

With the cost of supermax extensions skyrocketing—Dončić salary would've topped out at $78.8 million in 2030-31—and a restrictive collective bargaining agreement in place, general managers may have to operate far more pragmatically when they have an elite homegrown talent.

Maybe Luka is the first domino in that evolution.