Editorial | Lakers get Luka while Mavericks need psychological testing
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This is the first edition of a weekly opinion article by The Panther’s sports editor Caleb Otte, delving into the hottest topics and debates in world sports.
Fact check me if I’m wrong, but in the history of American sports a team has NEVER traded away a 25-year-old superstar who is a top five player in the world. Especially if that superstar just led them to only their third-ever championship appearance, puts up godly numbers on a nightly basis, has a propensity for winning big games with big moments and gave no indication he wanted to leave.
If it has happened, that franchise could have commanded the most fruitful return they could have imagined. Yet the Dallas Mavericks, in their infinite wisdom, gave Luka Dončić away for the measly prize of Anthony Davis, Max Christie and the Lakers 2029 first round pick.
This isn’t hate towards Davis. He is a perennial All-Star and All-NBA player. However, at this point in his career he is a floor-raiser rather than a ceiling-raiser. That is to say, the Mavs will certainly be a good team with him but their potential to be great is significantly limited. Davis is going to turn 32 in a month, and his new running mate Kyrie Irving will be turning 33. Their third option, Klay Thompson, is turning 35 and hasn’t looked like his sharp shooting self for a couple of seasons now. This is a team that has a championship window of maybe this season before things start to deteriorate. They had a much longer window with Dončić in town.
Here’s the thing about this trade. The Mavericks were contenders when fully healthy, and could’ve made a move at the trade deadline to strengthen the team around Dončić. Dallas had the realistic chance to win now and win in the future, a luxury most NBA teams aren’t afforded.
Take the Lakers. With some luck and a legendary playoff performance from James and Davis, they could’ve been a “win now” team. But they were never going to be set for the future with the roster they had last week. The script has completely flipped. Dallas is in a desperate win now mode to justify this move, while the Lakers have the peace of mind that Dončić and James could win a ring this season but they are set for years to come.
LA has its next star, they won’t be left in limbo like the first few years after Kobe Bryant retired (before James came). Lakers general manager (GM) Rob Pelinka has secured the future of the franchise, allowing them to build around Dončić before James has even left.
On the other side, Mavericks GM Nico Harrison has done nothing to cover himself in glory this week. At his first press conference post-trade, he talked with the calmness of a man who was being asked about what he ate for breakfast — not about the most shocking trade in NBA history. Here are some of the most ‘enlightening’ quotes from Harrison.
“We feel like we’re built to win now as well as in the future.” The Mavericks were already built for both, this trade significantly ages their team.
“How do we make our team better?” This was in response to a question about what led them to move on from Dončić.
“He was going to be able to… make his own decision of whether he wanted to be here or not.” Dončić has since said that he had no doubts about re-signing with the Mavericks.
What I’m wondering is how will this trade change the NBA market? Dončić wasn’t the only big trade before the deadline. Jimmy Butler found his way to the Golden State Warriors. Brandon Ingram was sent to the Toronto Raptors. De’Aaron Fox went from Sacramento, California to San Antonio. Obviously none of those moves are on par with Dončić’s, but it makes you wonder who in the league is deemed untradeable.
Anthony Edwards, 23-year-old star shooting guard for the Minnesota Timberwolves, joked around saying, “I’m scared” about the potential of getting traded. There is a hint of truthfulness to his statement. If Dončić can be traded, then why couldn’t Edwards? Probably because most GMs wouldn’t make a trade so dumb, but if I was Edwards I would probably be looking over my shoulder just in case.
Forget the trade itself. The most idiotic part of all of this? Harrison insisted on keeping it a complete secret! He wanted Pelinka to make sure no rumors of the deal got out. James didn’t know, Davis didn’t know, Dončić definitely didn’t know and Jason Kidd, the Mavericks head coach, had zero clue. If any information was leaked, though, Dallas would’ve gotten better offers for a guy who is arguably the most talented player in franchise history.
Harrison didn’t want other offers. He brought the initial idea for the trade to Pelinka, because I’m sure he never imagined that Dončic was on the table. Ultimately, all the Lakers GM had to do was stay quiet to pull off an “Ocean’s Eleven”-level heist.
I have seen stupidity in sports. I once watched the Indianapolis Colts attempt the worst trick play in NFL history. I watched in horror as J.R. Smith ran away from the basket with the ball at the end of Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals, because he thought the Cleveland Cavaliers had the lead (they did not). Hell, I’ve watched countless “dumbest soccer moments” compilations on YouTube just to kill time.
I don’t know if I’ve seen anything more stupid than Dallas trading away Dončić.
So what if he’s put on a little weight and has been injured this season? Dončić showed up every time his number was called upon. He loved that city. Those fans had hope because of him.
The most telling part of this entire story is how downtrodden Dončić looked in the first few days after the trade. He was shocked. He looked betrayed. He said in his first Lakers press conference that he planned on signing an extension with the Mavericks in the offseason, and that he didn’t find out he had been traded until just before the story broke. He was told over the phone. He was shocked.
Dončić wanted to stay there. He said that he planned on spending his entire career in Dallas, but Harrison wanted him gone. The GM threw away the guarantee of 10 plus years of success for essentially one run at a title. One run that they already had a chance at with Dončić, who led them to the brink of an NBA Championship just eight months ago.
The Slovenian looks like he’s at a normal weight to me by the way. Once his conditioning is back I expect monstrous stats, especially when the Lakers play in Dallas on Feb. 25.
Dončić and James will rock the basketball world and break the internet night in and night out. The 40-year-old ageless wonder is playing the best basketball of his season and the Lakers are rolling. Even when Anthony Davis was on the roster and injured, the Lakers were pumping out wins. This team is dangerous.
Dončić is expected to make his Laker debut tonight against the Utah Jazz. He has settled into his new life. You can tell that he is still hurt. You can see him still reminiscing about Dallas. But when that ball touches his hand and he steps out onto the court, he will firmly be a Los Angeles Laker. He will join a legacy of greatness.
That was a potential legacy that Harrison stripped away from the Dallas Mavericks.
