By Jamal Baker
NDG Contributing Writer
Hey Alexa, play “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” by Boyz II Men. The Dallas Mavericks have done the unthinkable and traded away their 25-year-old superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers will also receive Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris while the Mavs get Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick in return. The Utah Jazz served as the third team involved in this blockbuster trade—receiving Jalen Hood-Schifino, and two 2025 second round picks. After reaching the finals last season Mavs fans were left asking one simple question.
Why?
Mavericks’ general manager Nico Harrison has done an admirable job assembling and reshaping the Dallas roster from the moment he took the job back in 2021. Harrison explained his latest move in an interview with The Dallas Morning News.
“I understand why they would be shocked, initially,” Harrison told the Dallas Morning News. “But I do believe that we positioned ourselves to win now and also win in the future. And that’s ultimately the goal and why we’re here. It’s one of those things where it’s my job to make the tough decisions that put our goals first and foremost.”
Harrison also admitted that Lakers’ general manager Rob Pelinka initially thought the trade pitch was a joke when he approached Pelinka about a potential trade centered around Doncic and Davis.
According to Kirk Goldsberry of The Ringer, Pelinka was able to convince Harrison to reduce the deal by not including an extra first round pick and Dalton Knecht due to Doncic being a “risky” asset. Yeah, right. Doncic is as special as they come, and the Lakers organization will be in good hands for years to come. With Doncic’s looming contract extension this summer, which would have required Dallas to pay a five-year, $345 million supermax deal, Harrison cited this as another reason for the shocking trade.
“We really feel like we got ahead of what was going to be a tumultuous summer, him being eligible for the supermax and also a year away from him being able to opt out of any contract,” Harrison said. “And so we really felt like we got out in front of that. We know teams, they’ve had it out there, teams have been loading up to try to sign him once that comes available.”
Doncic will certainly be missed by fans in Dallas—he served the community well both on and off the court. While the departure of Doncic is far from ideal, the Mavs are welcoming another special talent in Davis to the team. Davis is averaging 25.7 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 3.4 assists while shooting 52.8 percent from the field this season.
He will be able to play his natural and preferred power forward position, forming a formidable front court rotation along with Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II. Defense is usually the key to winning championships, and adding two elite defenders like Christie and Davis keeps Dallas’ title hopes very much alive. Currently, Dallas will enjoy the dynamic duo of Kyrie Irving and Davis running the show, but only time will tell how this trade plays out in the years to come.
