Lakers acquire Superstar Guard Luka Doncic in a Blockbuster trade; Anthony Davis goes to the Mavericks
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Posted By: Jordan Davis on February 02, 2025 Full Trade: Lakers: Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, Markieff Morris Mavericks: Anthony Davis, Max Christie, 2029 Lakers 1st round pick Jazz: Jalen Hood-Schifino, 2025 Clippers 2nd round pick, 2025 Mavericks 2nd round pick …Well, that really just happened? In one of, if not THE biggest trade in NBA history, the Dallas Mavericks agree to send 5-time All-NBA and All-Star Guard Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for 9-time All-Star and 5-time All-NBA Center Anthony Davis, and if you’re still in shock and in disbelief about this deal going down, you would have a pulse. “I’m shocked, I’m shocked like most of, if not the entire basketball world,” says ESPN Personality Stephen A. Smith. If you’re like me, you thought that despite Doncic’s troubles sometimes with staying in the ideal shape, or his lack of care on the defensive side of the ball, that the 25-year-old basketball prodigy was in the “untouchable” tier of basketball players across the association. I’m talking about the tier that none of the other 29 GMs would attempt to call about because they would get laughed at and then promptly hung up on, untouchable. The 25 year old, who already has more 1st team All NBA selections than the likes of all time greats like Stephen Curry (4), David Robinson (4), John Stockton (2), Kevin Garnet(4) , and another Maverick great Dirk (3) was at least in my mind next to the Giannis Anteokounmpo’s, and Nikola Jokic’s tier of you being seen as utterly insane and wasting your time if your tried to trade for him. In my mind, your best thought of getting Luka on your team if you weren’t a Mavs fan was playing NBA 2K on rookie mode. Apparently Not. This is not at all to speak down on the talent of future Hall of Famer Anthony Davis. The 31-year-old Big Man is a walking 26 and 12 a night and will surely bring a defensive presence to the Mavs that Doncic, on his best nights, could not come close to providing. I’m sure AD, along with Kyrie Irving, a young wing in PJ Washington, good big men like Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford, and the wild card that is Klay Thompson, will be a formidable team, but this is Luka Doncic! Less than 7 months ago, this 25-year-old superstar took the Mavericks to the NBA Finals, and despite the Boston Celtics winning that series and their 18th championship in a go-away fashion, the NBA world agreed that Luka Doncic would be back on this stage… multiple times to come in the future. I’m shocked that Dallas decided that Doncic's future finals trips will not be while he is donning a Mavericks jersey. NBA fans online naturally credited LeBron (or LeGM, as he is called) for this blockbuster deal, but according to Matt Levine of Newsweek, whose source is Dave McMenamin, the Lakers did not tell LeBron James about the Anthony Davis trade. More reactions from the NBA World, from reporters to players, echo the sentiment of shock around this deal. 14-time All-Star and 2-time champion Kevin Durant said, “Insane. Crazy, crazy. Would have never thought that Luka Doncic would never get traded at this age. Midseason. NBA is a wild place, man.” Based on my reaction, KD is spot on. More of his peers chimed in on perhaps the biggest trade in history. Knicks forward Josh Hart simply said “Huh?????”, newly chosen All-Star Heat guard Tyler Herro said “wtf ?????”, and it brought laughter from Kings guard Malik Monk, who said “Hell Naw” with laughing emojis following it. A couple of NBA stars were in such disbelief that they thought something must have happened with NBA Insider Shams Charania when he sent out the stunning news, as Pacers Guard Tyrese Haliburton said, “Shams got hacked?” and Heat big man Bam Adebayo said, “Did somebody steal Shams' phone??” With the news that Doncic did not even request a trade from the Mavericks, it understandably leaves many questions about why and how this deal went down. We, as fans of the association, certainly cannot wait to see these superstars on their new respective teams, but one thing is evidently clear after tonight: The NBA is a wild place. If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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Jordan Davis
Camera Operator, Journalist, Broadcaster, and Host, University of the District of Columbia University of the District of Columbia class of 2025 Member Since February 2024 |
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