Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis trade grades: Who won the jaw-dropping Lakers-Mavericks deal?
The Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade on Saturday night was so shocking people thought ESPN’s Shams Charania was hacked. And to be candid, even as the dust settles, I’m still not entirely sure what happened.
Just … what?
Why would the Dallas Mavericks give up on Doncic at this stage of his career? How did the Los Angeles Lakers, once again, get away with something absurd like this? The only thing I know for sure is that this trade will be remembered as one of the most stunning midseason deals in American sports history. Right now, I can’t name any other competition for No. 1.
Let’s unpack this madness and see who came out on top in a three-team deal that also included the Utah Jazz.
Trade details
- Lakers get: Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, Markieff Morris
- Mavericks get: Anthony Davis, Max Christie, a 2029 first-round draft pick
- Jazz get: Jalen Hood-Schifino, a 2025 Los Angeles Clippers second-round draft pick, a 2025 Mavericks second-round draft pick
Dallas Mavericks
Harry How/Getty Images
I’m gonna be super honest here.
I’m not sure how this move makes any sense for the Mavericks. There were apparently concerns about Doncic’s rampant conditioning issues. I get that. A superstar like him should be taking better care of themselves, no matter how naturally talented they are. If you want to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars, you have to prepare and train like it, no matter who you are. Doncic will be 26 by the end of February. If he’s not getting his (expletive) together now, it’s hard to imagine he ever will.
At the same time, even if the Mavericks had issues with Doncic’s maturity, this is an incredibly meager return for a top-three player in the NBA. They are less than a year removed from a healthy Doncic taking them to the NBA Finals. They had a core poised to compete for the title year after year with Doncic in the fold. Davis is a great player, but he’ll be 32 in March and has a history of nagging injury issues. (Which makes trading Doncic for him pretty silly.) At this stage, Davis isn’t even a No. 1 option anymore. Getting a single first-round pick back for a face-of-the-franchise talent on top of that is a coup for Los Angeles.
There are no two ways about it.
The Mavericks might believe Davis still gives them a chance to win now that he’s paired with Kyrie Irving. In that respect, they are delusional. Their championship window, at least for the near future, is almost certainly sealed shut. Davis isn’t dynamic enough. A lot can change in the future, but I feel quite confident that saying history will likely look back upon this deal as rash overthinking from a management group that settled for petty scraps.
Grade: F
Los Angeles Lakers
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Welp, they did it again, folks.
With LeBron James on the brink of likely retirement in the near future, the illustrious Lakers found a way to secure another bona fide superstar player they can build around for years. The funniest part is they essentially did it for a comical price. They really got away with it again.
I don’t know what the Lakers told the Mavericks about Davis. I don’t know how actively engaged they were in discussions with Dallas throughout this trade negotiation. But the fact of the matter is they now have one of the best pure offensive talents in league history on their side, he’s still in his mid-20s, and they barely traded anything to get him.
That is earth-shattering all around.
I will say I don’t think the Lakers can ignore Doncic’s conditioning issues. If he’s someone who will compete for championships with one of the two best franchises in NBA history, he’s gonna have to start taking better care of himself. It’s now or never in that regard. If that happens, all bets are off for Doncic’s future in Southern California. It would be incandescent. Even if it doesn’t, he’ll still be one of the NBA’s premier players.
You’ll simply never be able to sleep on the Lakers as long as Doncic wears their uniform. Full stop.
Grade: A+