Way back in Feb. 1 of this year, the Dallas Mavericks shocked the basketball world by inexplicably sending the face of their franchise in Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package highlighted by Anthony Davis.
But what has happened since? Now we are in a new NBA season, and the impact and lasting damage that this trade has brought to the Mavericks as a team has become increasingly clear.
After the trade occurred, Anthony Davis sustained an injury that sidelined him for a significant portion of the 2024-25 season, with it ending in a play-in exit for Dallas.
Winning the draft lottery in 2025, the Mavericks selected Duke star forward Cooper Flagg first overall. I believe he is going to be a special player, but the Mavs front office hasn’t built a great roster around him.
What has followed in the 2025-26 season has been nothing short of a disaster in Big D. The Mavs are 5-14 and 13th in the West, with injuries sidelining key players such as Kyrie Irving and AD.
The architect of the sinking ship, General Manager Nico Harrison, has been fired for his part in the Luka trade, with the news of the move being leaked to the press prior to the meeting occurring.
And now, they are actively seeking to trade Davis, signalling a very clear intent to tear this roster apart and tank for another lottery pick to build around Cooper Flagg.
Getting a lottery pick in what is a very stacked 2026 draft class will allow them to do just that, with Brigham Young University small forward AJ Dybantsa and Duke power forward Cam Boozer (son of two-time NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer) expected to declare.
One thing that is clear is that the Luka Doncic trade has been nothing short of an unmitigated disaster, one that has set back the Mavs franchise for at least a couple of years.
I firmly believe this trade will go down as the biggest fleece in the four major sports this century, and it is one that will go down as one of the most lopsided trades of all time.
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