Here is the only scenario that makes sense:
Luka Dončić was unhappy in Dallas. He wanted out, and he already had decided upon Los Angeles as his ultimate destination. Eligible to become a free agent as early as after next season, Dončić told the Mavericks’ front office that he would sign with the Lakers if he reached the open market and was ready to make that fact known to the other teams in the NBA, too. Doing so would send the message to any potential trade partner that Dončić would be merely a rental who would bolt to become the potential heir to LeBron James in LA. The Mavericks, aware they would be losing Dončić after the 2025-26 season anyway and concerned that Dončić’s willingness to publicize his intention to end up in purple and gold would pierce his trade value, acted quickly to both appease Dončić and salvage his worth in shipping him to the Lakers on Saturday night.
To be clear, nothing in the above paragraph is known to be accurate. It is just the only series of events that comes to mind in which the Mavericks’ front office did not commit a colossal mistake in trading a top-three player in the NBA without shopping him around to fully maximize the return.
One of the most stunning trades in sports history — and probably the most out-of-nowhere trade in the age of social media — continues to astound days after the social media post heard (if not immediately believed) ’round the world. The Mavericks handed the Lakers their 25-year-old franchise player and one of the most talented offensive players in basketball history essentially for a 31-year-old Anthony Davis. On paper, the Mavericks got older and worse.
