In the late hours of the night (or the very early hours of the morning) on February 2nd, NBA insider Shams Charina reported the news that would shake up the NBA: the Dallas Mavericks were trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis.
Right away, fans, players, owners, and everyone in between believed that the report was a result of a hack. Hardly anyone could believe that the Mavericks would so easily give up their once-in-a-generation player who had carried them to the finals just last season. However, it was no hoax. The trade was confirmed, and Luka Doncic was no longer a Dallas player. Mavericks’ fans were so downtrodden they held a funeral outside of the American Airlines Center.
As the fanfare progressed, it came out that the Mavericks had concerns about Doncic’s fitness and reported unwillingness to do his conditioning. The front office was weary to finance his upcoming supermax contract in the summer. So, they quietly sought to acquire power forward Anthony Davis.
If the Mavericks truly were concerned about Doncic’s fitness and injury problems, targeting Anthony Davis was a confusing move. Davis, who turns 32 in March, has been one of the most injury-prone players throughout his career. The former number one pick has missed 232 games out of a possible 1,010 throughout his career. In his five-and-a-half seasons with the Lakers, he’s missed 134.
The measly return for Doncic is one of the most shocking things about the trade; Doncic, who’s widely regarded as a top three player in the NBA, could have been a much stronger bargaining chip for Dallas. In addition to Davis, the Mavericks received Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick. The Utah Jazz were also involved in the trade, receiving two draft picks and Lakers guard Jalen Hood-Schifino.
Allegedly, none of the players on either team knew about the trade until it happened. Luka Doncic said he thought he’d “spend his career [in Dallas].” Most NBA executives didn’t even know the Mavericks were willing to hear out offers for Luka.
Since the trade, many insiders and players have leveled accusations that Mavericks GM Nico Harrison had a personal bias against Doncic. In a press-conference with head coach Jason Kidd, Harrison said, “There’s people [sic] that fit the culture and there’s people that come in and add to the culture.” Harrison also stated, “… I’m not going to talk bad about any players… I just say there’s levels to it.”
Make of that what you will.
Both Doncic and Davis are currently injured, so neither player will be taking the court quite yet, but when they do, their presence is certain to shake up their new teams’ dynamics and playstyles.
Later the same day, another blockbuster trade broke. Another three-way trade, involving San Antonio, Chicago, and Sacramento, was finalized. The big headline for the trade was that Zach Lavine was heading to the Kings, and the Spurs were acquiring De’Aaron Fox.
This trade was slightly different because it had been reported four days prior that the Sacramento Kings were looking to trade De’Aaron Fox. Fox is having a mediocre year at 27, despite averaging 25 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds. He had a franchise record 60-point game in November. Lavine has also been a steady, reliable scorer for the Bulls, averaging 24 points with a .607 effective field goal percentage. Both Fox and Lavine have the highest usage percentage on their respective team, which means they are the most involved players on the offensive side of the ball.
The Spurs are excited to see how Fox will bring a more dynamic side to their offense that’s currently built around up-and-coming French giant Victor Wembanyama. The team is currently 6 games out of a playoff spot and 3 out of a play-in spot. Sacramento, on the other hand, is currently 9th in the Western Conference.
The final blockbuster trade took place Wednesday night, under 24 hours before the trade deadline, when the Warriors acquired Jimmy Butler in exchange for Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, and a 2025 first-round pick. The trade will also send Dennis Schroder to Utah, while the Jazz will ship P.J. Tucker to the Miami Heat.
Over the past two months, the relationship between Butler and the Heat has publicly soured. Butler openly wished to leave Miami, going to extreme measures to achieve his goal. He missed team flights, got suspended for missing team flights, walked out of practice for not playing (after being suspended), and then promptly got suspended again. Although Butler is one of the best shooting forwards in the league, he’s had public rifts before departing every organization he’s played for. Butler is a six-time all-star and previously led the Heat to two NBA finals.
The Warriors were looking to acquire a superstar before the deadline, casting a wide net in the process. Pair that with Butler’s desperation to leave Miami, and it was a trade made in heaven.
The NBA trade deadline was Thursday, February 6.
