There is so much uncertainty in Dallas right now. On Saturday night, the Mavericks did the unthinkable: They traded away their franchise cornerstone, Luka Doncic for Los Angeles Lakers big man Anthony Davis. The trade caught many fans and NBA viewers by surprise as there were no outside rumors about the Mavericks even considering this move.
Defensively, the Mavs took a major step. Davis drastically boosts the team’s frontcourt, as he has been named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team three times. He is one of the top bigs in the NBA and adding him alongside Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II will boost the team’s paint presence. Davis could also solve the team’s current issues at the center position, as injuries have been a major factor.
On paper though, this trade makes absolutely no sense. Dallas gave away a generational player for an injury-prone All-Star, a young guard in Max Christie, and a first-round draft pick in four years. The haul the Mavs received was not worth Doncic’s value as a player. He is a five-time All-Star, five-time NBA First Team selection, and was the cornerstone of the Mavs’ foundation. Trading a player of his caliber is still confusing.
After making the NBA Finals last season, it doesn’t seem like Dallas believed Doncic could take the team back there once again. They showed that they didn’t believe in him by moving on from him so prematurely, and time will tell if Nico Harrison’s bold move pays off for the Mavericks.
However, the Dallas Mavericks and Luka Doncic must now move forward. While this may be difficult for Mavs fans, Doncic may have no issue doing so as he is fully focused on winning a championship, no matter where that may be. You see, Doncic was due to receive the largest supermax extension in NBA history this summer. Everything was lined up, as Dallas was expected to offer Doncic a five-year, $346 million extension. Nothing was expected to go wrong, right?
Dallas could have inked him to the extension this summer, and if things went wrong next season, they could have explored trading him then if that was their true intentions.
Now, Doncic’s value has decreased. His opportunity to sign a deal starting at 30 percent of the salary cap is gone, because it only works if a player is with his original team or a team that traded for him during their first four seasons. His opportunity to receive the supermax extension is gone, as he is now a Los Angeles Laker.
Doncic could sign a four-year extension worth $228.6 million this offseason with the Lakers. If he waits until the 2026 offseason to re-sign with the Lakers, then he could be eligible to sign a contract for a 30 percent max and eight percent annual raise. Dallas messed up his ability to negotiate at the highest level. Not to mention, the tax laws in Los Angeles mean he’ll make less money.
For future reference, this could spell disaster for the Mavs. Doncic could now torture the team on the floor with monster performances for what they did and how they went about things. He has shown the ability to use actions and words as motivation time and time again. For example, during the 2022 NBA Playoffs, the Phoenix Suns irked Doncic by doing acts that he believed had them acting “tough.” This would ignite his infamous quote, “Everybody acting tough when up.” Doncic would later use their antics to help Dallas win their next two games, as he dropped an infamous 35 points on 63.4 percent shooting in a Game 7 blowout.
There are so many other instances in which Doncic torched teams. Last season, he dropped a whooping 73 points against the Atlanta Hawks. This tied him for the fourth-highest points in a game in NBA history.
In the biggest moments, Doncic always steps up. The lights are never too bright for him, and when he wants to go win a big game, he almost always wills his team to victory. He never forgets disrespectful moments that happen with players of different teams on the floor, so imagine how he is going to handle what has transpired over the last 36 hours.
There is no telling what he could do to Dallas the next time he plays the team. It’s possible he could go on a rampage and have an all-time great game, as he likely feels backstabbed and hurt by a team he gave his all to. Doncic wanted to win a ring in Dallas badly, and he thought he would spend his entire career as a Maverick. On Sunday, Nico Harrison and Jason Kidd both reached out to Doncic, but neither one of them heard back.
This means that February 25 could have a special meaning for the Dallas Mavericks and Luka Doncic. It’ll be the first time both teams face off against each other since the major trade. With Doncic eyeing a February 8 return to the hardwood, this could special disaster for the Dallas Mavericks and Harrison.
