The NBA trade deadline season kicked off on Feb. 1 with news that Luka Dončić has been traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in a three-team deal involving the Utah Jazz, per NBA Insider Shams Charania. The Slovenian Superstar was shipped away Saturday night alongside German big-man Maxi Kleber and veteran forward Markieff Morris.
Upon hearing this news, the Dallas Mavericks did not receive the haul many fans would be hoping for. Dončić is a league-defining player who has already made the NBA Finals and was a finalist for the MVP award last season.
The Lakers and Jazz had a wealth of assets to give up for Dončić. The Jazz had All-Star Lauri Markkannen and shot-blocking third-year Walker Kessler. The Lakers could offer fan-favorite wings Austin Reaves and Dalton Knecht. There is also a stockpile of 14 first-round draft picks between the two teams.
The Mavericks received aging All-Star Anthony Davis, third-year rotation piece Max Christie and LA’s 2029 first-round draft pick.
NBA fans and media alike agree that this will go down as one of the worst trades in NBA history. This could be worse than Gail Goodrich to the Jazz for a first-round pick. This could be worse than Russell Westbrook to LA for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. This could be worse than Vlade Divac to the Hornets for rookie Kobe Bryant.
Not only has Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison sold the future of his franchise to the Lakers, he did it for pennies on the dollar of his own volition. Dončić did not request a trade out of Dallas, per NBA Insider Marc Stein. The Mavericks front office reached out to the Lakers offering the 25-year-old superstar.
The ramifications of this deal will impact the league for years to come. LeBron James and the Lakers now have at least two years of Luka Dončić under contract, making them instant threats to the Western Conference. This trade drastically impacts the league’s trade economy days before the trade deadline with multiple stars still on the hot seat.
The value of a first-round draft pick was most recently skewed in 2022 when Utah GM Danny Ainge sent Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverly, Leandro Balmero, Jarred Vanderbilt, Walker Kessler and five first rounders.
Five players, three of whom with significant roles on the team and a fourth being rookie Walker Kessler, and five first-round picks in exchange for Rudy Gobert, who struggled in his first year in Minnesota. This trade brutalized the trade economy in the 2022 offseason. With Gobert fetching five firsts, each team increased the price of their borderline all-star. The first-round pick had been massively devalued.
Later that season at the 2023 trade deadline, aging superstar Kevin Durant was traded to the Phoenix Suns at the trade deadline for five first-rounders, two seconds and three players including budding star Mikal Bridges. This trade would wreck the Suns as they had given up so much to acquire Durant that they could not put together a competent team beyond young stud Devin Booker.
The reverse has now happened. The Lakers were able to give up only one draft pick to steal Dončić away from the Mavericks. The prices for all-stars like De’Aaron Fox and Zach LaVine just plummeted, as they were likely candidates to be moved at this coming deadline, giving the Kings and Bulls chances to revitalize their franchises with the returns.
The situation is even more dire for the Miami Heat and Suns, who need to off-load former stars Jimmy Butler and Bradley Beal, who were already fetching low prices.
