Trading Luka Doncic had the potential to be an incredible move by Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison.
No, this isn’t rage bait.
If you’re still reading, you’ve most definitely decided to stick around just to see what some seemingly bumbling idiot on the internet has to say about what many are calling the worst deal in sports history.
Hear me out for 500 words, and then you can carry on. Drop me a hate message on your way out, too, if you so choose. I need to know if I’m way off the mark on this one.
The decision to deal Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers was apparently made due to the fact that Dallas was frustrated with the five-time All-Star’s poor diet and conditioning. The organization also didn’t like Doncic’s lack of effort on the defensive end, a very reasonable gripe considering the 25-year-old was a complete liability on that side of the ball in the Finals this past summer.
Now, those things aside, Luka Doncic is still Luka Doncic. He’s a top-five player in the league when healthy, a constant triple-double threat and already has five All-NBA selections to his name.
Still, the concerns that Harrison and the Mavericks had are completely valid. Are those cons serious enough to warrant a trade? That’s a whole different conversation. But Dallas decided they were, and the Mavericks took action.
And it would have been a completely justifiable move had Dallas gotten the proper return for Doncic.
I’m sure the sports world still would have been absolutely stunned, and yes, Mavericks fans still probably would have brought a casket to American Airlines Center to signify the “death” of the franchise, but at least Dallas would have been well-positioned to dominate the league for years to come.
Instead, the Mavericks walked away with 31-year-old Anthony Davis, Max Christie and one, singular first-round draft pick—in 2029, mind you.
That’s a downright embarrassing haul for someone with All-NBA credentials averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists this season and could still play another 10 to 15 years.
There had to be other teams out there willing to pay more. Suppose Dallas received a young two-way stud, one or two strong role players and a bundle of first-round selections.
Then maybe losing Doncic doesn’t feel as bad.
Dealing Doncic to a Western Conference foe is also insane, by the way. Just thought I’d throw that in there.
During the Finals last year, I wrote an article saying that Doncic wasn’t a winner. And I’ll stand by that until he has a ring on his finger. He may never have one, though, if he doesn’t change some of his ways: the diet, the conditioning, the God-awful defense—you know, all the things that the Mavericks were worried about.
It’s easy to get caught up in the “what could have beens” when trades like this are made. There’s the assumption that the Mavericks definitely would have gone all the way at some point with Doncic, but maybe that never would have happened.
All Dallas fans can do now is hope for the best. Harrison could have been a hero in the long run, but now all he’ll ever be is a villain.
