Luka Doncic's rumored trade to LA Lakers makes Ariel Helwani question what's more to the story: "Face of the franchise shipped off just like that?"

Ariel Helwani has addressed Luka Doncic's reported trade to the LA Lakers, a development that has sent shockwaves through the sports realm overall. Helwani notably alluded to the sudden nature of it and highlighted the potential impact it could have on the Dallas Mavericks and its fans.

As reported by ESPN, a series of major Western Conference trades have shaken up the sport of basketball in the NBA (National Basketball Association), which is the premier basketball league in North America and one of the biggest sports organizations worldwide. The NBA's Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, and Utah Jazz have agreed to a three-team agreement.

Based on what sources told Shams Charania of ESPN on Saturday, Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic would be traded with the LA Lakers' Anthony Davis. Doncic, a Slovenian basketball player who's beheld as one of Europe's greatest basketball players ever, has been one of the Lakers' top stars. As such, the deal is being viewed as a surprising one.

As a part of the deal, the LA Lakers would get Luka Doncic, Markieff Morris, and Maxi Kleber. The Dallas Mavericks would get Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and the LA Lakers' 2029 first-round pick.

Moreover, the Utah Jazz would get Jalen Hood-Schifino, the Dallas Mavericks' 2025 second-round pick, and the LA Clippers' 2025 second-round pick. Nico Harrison, the Dallas Mavericks' general manager, indicated that they'd traded Luka Doncic and secured Anthony Davis because they intended to strengthen their defense and believe strong defense wins championships.

Apparently, the trade talks were commenced by Dallas, and Doncic's supposed conditioning issues reportedly played a role in it. Veteran journalist Ariel Helwani has now chimed in on the trades. In a series of posts on X, he, akin to many other netizens, expressed his surprise over the same.

One of his posts read:

"YOOO COME AGAIN!? I just watched Max torch the Knicks like 6 mins ago (I know that's not very important here but still)"

In another post, Helwani stated:

"If you're a Mavs fan you have to be sick no? This is a nightmare. There's gotta be more to this story. Legit one of the most shocking trades in NBA history."

Helwani further added:

"Forget NBA, this has to be one of the most stunning trades in North American Sports history. No rumors. No whispers. The face of the franchise shipped off just like that?! Gotta be more to this story. Truly shocking. And I feel so very sorry for Mavs fan. How do you come to terms with this?!"

Helwani questioned whether the deal made sense overall:

"Even if Luka wasn't gonna re-sign. Even if they had concerns about his conditioning ... That's what you got for him?! Knicks traded 85 firsts for Bridges. Dallas got ... one?"

Check out the screenshots of Helwani's posts below:

Screenshots of Helwani's X posts