"What we call the business of basketball"- Shaquille O'Neal picks Mavericks as clear winner for Luka Doncic-AD trade ahead of Lakers' revenge game

Shaquille O'Neal gave his thoughts on which team between the LA Lakers and Dallas Mavericks won the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade. LA is set to host Dallas on Tuesday night. It'll be the first time both teams will face off since trading their star players for each other.

Heading into the matchup, Shaquille O'Neal gave his take on who won the trade between the Lakers and the Mavericks. While O'Neal acknowledged that Doncic will undoubtedly flourish in the City of Angels, it's Dallas who won a huge pick-up in Davis.

"This is what we call the business of basketball," O'Neal said. "I remember the day they traded Patrick Ewing. It made me say to myself, "Nobody is safe." ... It's going to be interesting. However, I think Dallas got better of the trade. For the next two years anyway."

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Is Shaquille O'Neal right about Mavericks winning the Doncic-Davis trade?

On February 1, the NBA world was in shambles when everyone learned about the trade between the LA Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks. It was a surreal moment to think that the Mavericks would trade Luka Doncic away. Dallas' organization explained that acquiring Anthony Davis felt like the right move if they wanted to accomplish their immediate championship aspirations.

Even NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal shared similar sentiments to the Mavericks. O'Neal believes that the Mavs will flourish with Davis on their roster in the next couple of years. While there could be some truth to that, has that been the case so far this season?

Looking at how things are going for both teams involved, it appears that the Lakers are more content with Doncic's presence than the Mavericks are with AD. Davis is currently sidelined for several weeks due to an injury he acquired during his debut game in Dallas. This doesn't seem like a good sign for the Mavs considering how their star man could easily get hurt again come playoff time.

As for the Purple and Gold, while it may have taken some time for Luka Doncic and LeBron James to find their rhythm as a new duo, they've elevated their status in the Western Conference. The Lakers are currently in fourth place with a 34-21 record. They recently accomplished their first win against the Denver Nuggets last Saturday after losing nine straight games against them from 2022.

Having all that in mind, it seems like the LA Lakers are the winners of the trade for now. However, we can't say for sure until the postseason arrives.