LA Lakers and Dallas Mavericks fans woke up in disbelief for different reasons. It never seemed like Luka Doncic was slightly available for a trade, much less that the Mavs would give him up at a discount.
While getting Anthony Davis is a decent return, given the age difference and the team's situation, it was a shocking decision.
On Sunday, Michael Pina of The Ringer ripped Mavs general manager Nico Harrison for his decision, arguing that he had built his entire roster around Doncic.
"Just about every personnel decision Dallas made over the past seven years was done with Doncic’s best interest in mind," Pina wrote. "If you can accentuate his skill set — the generational pick-and-roll genius with defensive shortcomings — climb aboard. If not, you make no sense here. "Removing Luka from this team is like taking the sun out of our solar system."
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Pina also questioned the Mavs' return for Doncic, considering how much the Utah Jazz got for Rudy Gobert or the Brooklyn Nets received for Mikal Bridges.
"Dallas only received one (how!) first-round pick in this trade and it’ll be coming in 2029 from a Lakers team that, um, JUST TRADED FOR LUKA DONCIC!" Pina wrote. "Words can’t really do justice to how catastrophic all this is.".
Injury-proneness aside, the Mavs dealt their franchise cornerstone for a player who is almost eight years older.
"Meanwhile, AD turns 32 next month, is currently out with an abdominal injury, and can opt out of his contract in 2027," Pina wrote. "To complain about Luka’s conditioning and then trade him for a chronically injured big man who’s six years older and not as good right now is driving me to become a conspiracy theorist. None of this passes the smell test. Irving turns 33 in a month and Thompson turns 35 in a week."
Luka Doncic idolized LeBron James
It was reported that Luka Doncic and LeBron James were blindsided by the deal.
As hard as it may have been for the Slovenian star to realize he had been traded, his consolation is the opportunity to play alongside the player he looks up to.
"He's (LeBron James) like my idol," Doncic said in 2018, via ESPN.
Unless there's something seriously wrong with Doncic's health or character, fans will likely find it hard to understand why the Mavericks traded him, especially after reaching the NBA finals last season.
Only time will tell who won this trade; however, Nico Harrison will be under a lot of pressure.
