Many in the basketball world, or even out of it, have been shocked to find out that the Dallas Mavericks have decided to trade their franchise player, Luka Doncic, who arguably hasn’t even reached the prime of his career. They traded him for Anthony Davis, who is another superstar, and a 2029 first-round pick. Many believe that the trade came seemingly out of nowhere, and there are many differing opinions on the matter.
One potential reason for the trade comes from ESPN’s journalists, Ramona Shelburne and Tim MacMahon, where they state, “The Mavericks’ frustrations with Doncic’s habits on and off the court were well known in league circles. Head coach Jason Kidd frequently expressed concerns publicly and directly with Doncic about his conditioning, weight fluctuations, and constant arguing with officials.”
In other words, staff members within the organization were questioning Luka’s ability to stay in shape. This is important because if a player gets too out of shape, it could end in career-altering injuries, which has happened to many players like Tracy McGrady and Isiah Thomas. On top of this, they seem to be frustrated with how he argues with referees because it leads to unnecessary technical fouls and could set a bad example for the other players.
Many around the basketball world thought Luka would stay with the Mavs for the majority of his career, one of these being the legendary Mavs player, Dirk Nowitzki, who won them a championship in 2011 against LeBron and the Heat. On X he posted a shocked face emoji, indicating that he wasn’t expecting the trade any more than many others. Dirk played with Luka in his final season in 2018.
Another reaction comes from someone we don’t usually associate with basketball, the famous YouTuber, Penguinz0, who has 16 million subscribers. He disagrees with the Mav’s decision to trade Luka, stating, “In this case, I don’t necessarily believe that you’re in a better position now to win championships then you were with Luka on your squad.” He pushes his point forward by saying, “The Mavericks were just in the NBA finals, yes they didn’t win, but they could have. I don’t think trading your franchise superstar for a defensive boost is the best call, but I can see where it’s coming from.”
NBA superstar, Anthony Edwards, also gives his opinion on the situation, stating, “At 25 they traded probably the best scorer in the NBA, and he didn’t know about it.” Edwards seems to be revealing his shock from how Doncic was not informed of the trade beforehand. He says later, “I’m scared…if you’re gonna trade me, let me know.” He seems to be joking about the bizarre situation, but is also giving his real opinion on the subject.
Overall, the trade left many confused on why it was made, but many say it was done due to Luka Doncic’s weight and health concerns.
In other news, around the league during this trade deadline, many other teams also traded to contend or to look to the future. The second biggest deal was the Miami Heat sending Jimmy Butler to the Warriors for Andrew Wiggins and others.
Also, star point guard, De’Aaron Fox was traded from the Sacramento Kings to the Spurs to team up with rising superstar Victor Wembanyama. This was a 3-team deal involving the Bulls, so the Kings got Zach Lavine and a haul of first and second-round picks back for Fox.
Another big trade from this year’s deadline was the Milwaukee Bucks sending Khris Middleton and AJ Johnson for Kyle Kuzma and other players. Kuzma will be a good addition for the Bucks, as he is an upgrade from the aging Middleton, who can’t be the complement to Giannis that Kuzma could be in the future.
One more deal was Brandon Ingram from the Pelicans to the Toronto Raptors for Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, and picks. This was an interesting move, not getting either team great assets, but the Pelicans got off of a massive salary. However, the Raptors did get good talent in Ingram, but they are a ways from competing.
Furthermore, the hometown Cavaliers got their guy traded for Atlanta’s De’Andre Hunter. This deal is filling their need for a small forward that the Cavs had needed for a long time to pair with the big four of Garland, Mitchell, Mobley, and Allen. This didn’t come without some hard goodbyes as Caris LeVert and Georges Niang were traded to Atlanta.
The Hawks’ selling didn’t stop there as they sold Bogdan Bogdanović to the L.A. Clippers for Terrence Mann and Bones Hyland and three 2nd round picks. The Clippers added some wing depth, and the Hawks continued to sell and rebuild their squad.
