Fresh off a finals run, superstar Luka Doncíc was traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers just one year ago. It quickly garnered a narrative as the “worst trade in basketball history,” even leading to the controversial firing of the Mavericks General Manager (GM), Nico Harrison. But fast forward a year, who “won” that trade?
The trade
With no rumors, reports, or public disagreements, four-year GM Nico Harrison gave the green light to trade their five-time all-star, all-first team, and who just recently helped them reach their first National Basketball Association (NBA) finals in over a decade: Dončić. A 6´8 point guard, Dončić had averaged 29 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists since his draft day in 2018. Dončić first got his taste of professional basketball when he signed a contract with Real Madrid’s club team at just 13 years of age, and in just a few seasons, he would make his pro debut at 16.
The NBA world was shocked upon hearing the news that the commonly called “generational talent” would actually be traded in any part of his career. Certainly, the only way possible for the Mavericks to be sane to accept a deal like this was if they were set to receive a haul of talented players and future picks for their cream of the crop. Despite everyone’s expectations, Dallas only received two players and one lackluster pick. The Lakers traded Anthony Davis and Max Christie. Davis, despite helping the Lakers secure their seventeenth title in 2020, has long been under criticism for his inability to stay healthy for long periods in his career, causing him to miss 292 games throughout his career. Christie, the less valuable part of the trade, was on the team for half of the time Davis was but still managed to become a valuable “3-and-D” role player which is why he was seen as a necessary asset to acquire Dončić from the Mavericks.
“The Luka trade helped the Lakers and hurt the Mavericks for sure, the Lakers won for sure. The Mavericks even ended up trading AD (Anthony Davis) for even worse players.” NBA fan Nihal Mehta (10) said on his opinion about the Luka-AD trade.
The backlash
With the Dallas Mavericks essentially giving away their future to possibly return to that craved limelight in the NBA, in return for an aging and injury-prone Davis and someone with minimal experience, the organization is in immediate chaos. Shortly after the trade, Maverick Fans began to voice their disapproval of the trade and call for the firing of Harrison. Hundreds of fans gathered outside the American Airlines Center, home to the Dallas Mavericks, holding signs with slogans including “#FIRENICO.” Fans even began to chant “Fire Nico!” during home games. It even went further than that with the majority owner, Mark Cuban, and Patrick Dumont receiving their fair share of criticism. It wouldn’t take long for their wish to be granted. At the beginning of the next season, Dumont made the inevitable decision to cut ties with Harrison.
Did it make it better?
With generational superstar Luka Dončić now on their side, the Los Angeles Lakers would finish out their season with a 20-12 record and end with a 50-32 record overall, good enough for the number three seed in the West. Come playoffs, they were outed in just five games by the Minnesota Timberwolves, Dončić leading the way in the first round by averaging 30 points, seven rebounds, and six assists per game. Fast forward to next season, the Lakers are following a similar path with a 32-20 record for the fifth seed in a dogfight Western Conference, and Dončić is averaging the most points in the NBA.
“Looking back at the Mavericks after the Luka trade, their game felt completely boring to watch, and they couldn’t even make it to the playoffs, so that makes a very big difference,” Yashengjiang (10) said about the Mavericks post-Luka’s departure.
For the Mavericks, it was quite the opposite from the Lakers. All hope was lost when their prized jewel, Davis, was sent down with a left abductor strain, prompting him to miss the majority of the season. With little firepower, Dallas struggled and ended the season 13-20, resulting in them being eliminated in the Play-In Tournament by the Memphis Grizzlies. This total failure of an experiment had a bright side: Dallas somehow jumped 10 spots to obtain the first overall pick for the 2025 Draft with only a 1.8% chance of winning it, serving as the biggest jump by any NBA team in lottery history. But things wouldn’t change that much with Dallas currently having a distasteful 19-34 record that shows with their 12th spot in the standings.
With them heading into complete oblivion, Dallas pulled the plug on the Davis experiment just a year later, shipping him off along with three other players to the Washington Wizards for five players and five picks. To make matters worse, Davis was plagued by 18 different injuries and played just 29 games while in Dallas.
“I feel like the trade was just depressing overall for the Mavericks and Davis, and the fact that Davis is most likely going to end his career in Washington is crazy to me,” said Tristan Flores (10) about the aftermath of the trade.
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With the Lakers in a good spot as Dončić heads on track for his best season yet, it appears that they are in a much better position than the Mavericks for now. The Mavericks do have Cooper Flagg, the 2025 first overall pick, who’s currently top three in Rookie of the Year voting for this year, but Dallas’s dreadful standing raises the question if it was ever worth it to even consider the trade of generational superstar Dončić.
