On Saturday night, the sports world was in a state of shock as the news came down that the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers completed a trade of two of the best players in the league. The Utah Jazz were also a part of the trade to make sure the money part of the deal worked out.

The Trade

Lakers Received: Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris

Mavericks Received: Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and the Lakers 2029 first round pick

Jazz Received: Jalen Hood-Schifino and two second round picks

The Shock Value

Why was this trade such a shocking development? The main reason is the abruptness of it. There were no whispers or reports that Luka Doncic was on the trade block. It has been reported that none of the other teams in the NBA knew that Doncic was available.

This is shocking because Luka Doncic is widely considered a top five player in the NBA and he will be 26 years old on February 28th. A player of Doncic’s caliber who is in his mid-20s is normally considered “untouchable”. Teams don’t even ask about this player because it would be a waste of time to call about a trade.

Doncic is not only considered a top five player in the NBA but he is on a trajectory to be one of the greatest to ever play the game. Doncic has been selected to the All-NBA first team for five consecutive seasons.

He already has the same amount of All-NBA first team selections as all-time greats like Charles Barkley, Dwight Howard, Jason Kidd, Julius Erving, George Gervin, and Rick Barry.

Doncic already has more All-NBA first team selections than certified legends like Kevin Garnett, Steph Curry, Dirk Nowitzki, Allen Iverson, and Steve Nash among others. Just a reminder, he has not turned 26 years old, yet!

This is the type of player who teams do everything to hold on to. If they leave the team that drafted them or in this case, traded for them on draft night, its by their own accord. Either they wait to become a free agent or demand a trade.

The Comparable Trades

There are few trades in NBA history that can compare to the Doncic, Davis trade. Prior to the 1982-83 season the Houston Rockets traded Moses Malone to the Philadelphia 76ers for Caldwell Jones and a first round pick.

Malone was already a two-time Most Valuable Player award winner, who was entering his physical prime as he turned just 27-years old during the 1982-83 season. The trade worked wonders for the 76ers as they won the NBA championship and Malone won his third MVP that season.

The Rockets went from a playoff team in the 1981-82 season to the team with the worst record in the NBA the next season with Malone no longer on the roster.

Prior to the 1975-76 season, the Milwaukee Bucks traded Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Walt Wesley to the Los Angeles Lakers for Elmore Smith, Brian Winters, Junior Bridgeman and Dave Meyers.

Abdul-Jabbar was already a three-time MVP, who was only 28 years old at the time of the deal. He would go on to lead the Lakers to five championships while the Bucks didn’t get their first championship until 2021, more than 30 years after Abdul-Jabbar retired.

In the few examples we have seen of this type of trade in NBA history, it has not worked out well for the team giving up the “generational” talent. How can it be different for the Mavericks?

The Mavericks Outlook

Ironically, the Dallas Mavericks made a win-now move while getting rid of their best player. The Mavericks received Anthony Davis back in the trade. Davis is a great player and future hall of famer that happens to be turning 32-years of age on March 11th.

Davis is a defensive player of the year candidate, year in and year out, along with being a great number two option on offense. So far, this season, Davis is averaging 25.7 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game while shooting 53% from the floor. This would be a great addition, if they were not losing a 25-year old perennial MVP candidate.

The loss of Doncic puts a lot of pressure on the Mavs to win now. Dallas made it to the NBA Finals last season while being led by Doncic. If the Mavericks are not able to get back to the Finals in the next two or three years, this trade will be viewed as a failure.

The former number one overall pick has one big weakness on the offensive end and that’s three point shooting. Davis is shooting 30% from three point range this season, which is not good enough for the power forward position in today’s NBA.

The projected starting line-up for Dallas is Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, PJ Washington, Anthony Davis, and Daniel Gafford. The lack of outside shooting from Davis and Gafford should be a big concern. This could clog up driving lanes and also make it hard to get shooters like Thompson open.

The lack of spacing could be an issue that stops this team from making a deep playoff run. If that is the case, this will go down as one of the worst trades in NBA history.

On the other hand, if the improved defense around Anthony Davis is the reason Dallas makes an NBA Finals run. Then the Mavericks front office will have the right to laugh at all of their criticizers.

The Lakers Outlook

The Los Angeles Lakers have not only set themselves up to maybe make a title run this season, they have also set themselves up for the future. LeBron James is still amazing but he is 40-years old. He will have to retire one day, right?!

The Lakers are now set from both a basketball and business perspective going forward. Luka Doncic is the type of superstar that can sell tickets and merchandise. Don’t be surprised if Doncic’s Lakers’ jersey is the top selling jersey in the league by March.

Doncic is also the type of player that players want to play with. He could help the Lakers recruit free agents going forward.

This move has taken care of the hard part of team building. Finding a superstar to build around. Now, the Lakers have a centerpiece with the potential to be an all-time great.

This trade will go down as a major turning point for both teams, now we have to see if that turning point is a good one or a bad one.