Open Season
If you follow the NBA you probably woke up today with this reaction.
Um, WHAT!?
I was very tempted to make that the title here. But open season really fits the climate since it looks like nobody is untouchable. NBA teams are dealing with the trade deadline coming up. However, this is a trade that nobody saw coming. The first time EVER that two all NBA players are traded for each other midseason. The news broke roughly 1am eastern time. Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris are heading to the Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first round pick on the move to the Mavericks. Utah for helping facilitate the trade got a player and a second round pick from each team back.
Dallas shocks the world by sending their 25 year old superstar to Los Angeles for a 31 year old big man who is fairly injury prone. Luka Doncic has also been injured quite a bit. This is the first time I have ever done a same day reaction to a major move, but I am making an exception today.
Reports
Dallas has been concerned regarding the face of the franchise for a long time regarding conditioning, poor diet, and discipline associated with that. Doncic has been teetering on the verge of 300 pounds and at times during last years playoff run and finals appearance looked gassed. This is very similar to what we hear about Zion Williamson with the New Orleans Pelicans. Both players are injured a lot and do not take care of themselves. These issues are related.
Davis has never been offered in a trade during his time in LA. The plan was to have him and LeBron James be the dynamic duo of their team. The Lakers apparently made a call a few days ago about Doncic and made Davis the main part of the deal. Mavs general manager Nico Harrison says he believes defense wins championships, which was clearly a not at all subtle shot on Doncic, who can score but does not defend.
Also, Davis has ties to folks in the Dallas organization including Harrison and head coach Jason Kidd which made the move desirable on their side. I feel like this tweet which you can see here really sums how some people are feeling.
Aftermath
People often ask who wins the trade. Sometimes it is obvious right away or it becomes obvious over time. But I think is pretty clear. You know who won this trade?
NOBODY!
I can’t begin to fathom how stupid this is. Dallas just traded their best player after trying endlessly to surround him with established talent. Dallas, you had Jalen Brunson and you let him walk out the door for nothing. Now he is starring for the New York Knicks. You tried to make a big two with Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, and you traded KP of all places, the Washington Wizards - who then gets acquired by the Celtics where he becomes a champion.
And I’m sorry, but did you really think putting Doncic with Kyrie Irving, another guy who really doesn’t play defense and can decide he wants to leave at a moments notice was a good idea? Oh by the way, good luck with Kyrie now, who I am sure is already plotting an escape route on a team that is in 8th place in the west and sure to fall even lower. This is a failure of epic proportions on the Dallas front office. You were in the finals last year! You had something going for you. It wasn’t perfect but it was at least something to build on and work with through some tinkering. This isn’t tinkering, this is pressing the self destruct button. If this does not work out, this is a fireable offense that Harrison brought on himself.
But the Lakers aren’t innocent here either. You are currently 5th in the west. You are not that far behind the Denver Nuggets. I do not understand GM Rob Pelinka’s obsession with dismantling a core before they can prove themselves. They were even floating Austin Reaves in a potential Bradley Beal trade, and Reaves is one of the few complete players they have. You lose Davis who was providing defense and swap him out for a guy who doesn’t play defense. Tell me who the next best center on your team is now who can do everything AD was currently doing for you. Go ahead, I’ll wait for the phone call Rob. Give both of these GMs a TV show called Dumb and Dumber basketball edition since this is basically comedy hour now.
Big name players on a super team do not win, a championship core wins. Kyrie, Harden, and Durant in Brooklyn won nothing. Durant, Booker, and Beal have in Phoenix won nothing. Giannis and Dame Lillard in Milwaukee, Harden and Russell Westbrook in Houston, the thousand of iterations Philly has tried, it just doesn’t work but they keep throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks. And this why the Celtics have been able to do what they do. They were not looking for players, they looked for teammates. They are deep at each position where almost anybody on a giving night can go in and produce, and there is no jealously and entitlement. There is a team and a team mentality. Something all of these birdbrains clearly know nothing about.