A Year Later
It has been a year now since the Dallas Mavericks decided to trade star point guard, Luka Dončić, to the Los Angeles Lakers. In this three-team trade, the Dallas Mavericks received power forward Anthony Davis, shooting guard Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick. The Los Angeles Lakers received Luka Dončić, power forward Maxi Kleber and power forward Markieff Morris. The final team involved in this trade was the Utah Jazz, who received shooting guard Jalen Hood-Schifino and multiple draft considerations.
The night Luka Dončić was traded to Los Angeles, the NBA world itself shook. Most University of Dallas students were returning to their dorms and apartments after celebrating the 2025 Groundhog festivities when the news broke. Most believed that the trade was a joke, or that someone hacked the news reporters’s phones. It was seven minutes later when the jokes were set aside and the realization set in for Mavericks fans. The face of their franchise for the past eight years had now become a rival in Los Angeles. The following day, fans swarmed the American Airlines Center near the Dirk Nowitzki statue, paying their respects to the star from Slovenia.
Most still believed that this had to be a joke, and one fan infamously declared “he was supposed to have a statue!”, meaning once Dončić played his entire career in Dallas, he would retire as a Maverick and have a statue built directly next to his former teammate and Dallas Maverick legend power forward Dirk Nowitzki. Alas, it seems that that day will never come as Dončić continues to perform at a high caliber in L.A. It appears that the historic Lakers franchise has found another star to carry them for the next decade.
Dončić himself spoke out days after the trade, saying not only was he surprised by this, but that he did not want to leave. Dončić believed that Dallas was going to be his home forever, even after his NBA career. Dončić stated that he broke down crying, throwing his phone against a wall and shattering it, at a loss for how to say goodbye to the place he called home. When fans then wondered why this trade happened, all eyes turned to former general manager, Nico Harrison.
Harrison spoke publicly about the trade, how he was the one who initiated contact with the Lakers hoping to trade away Dončić. Harrison believed that the team that went to the NBA Finals the previous season needed serious improvement on defense and that Davis was the key to success. Everyone was surprised by the news, including head coach Jason Kidd, who sat at the press conference stunned by the front office’s questionable decision. Regardless, the Mavericks needed to move on and push for a new future, one that did not include Luka Dončić.
The remainder of the 2024-2025 season remained to be a disappointment. Kyrie Irving, the beloved shooting guard, suffered a torn ACL, Anthony Davis suffered several injuries that sidelined him for the majority of the season, and the overall energy surrounding the Mavericks was negative. Finally the season came to a close, and the Dallas Mavericks needed a plan for the future. The Mavericks received the first overall draft pick in the 2025 NBA lottery draft, securing them a future face of the franchise. After months of anticipation, the Dallas Mavericks selected Cooper Flagg, the power forward from Duke University.
Although Cooper Flagg has taken great strides in his rookie season, securing two scoring records in NBA history as well as leading the Rookie of the Year race, many fans still have their eyes set on Dončić. Dončić continues to perform at an MVP level in Los Angeles and seems to be all-in on being a Laker long-term. Finally, in November, the Dallas Mavericks fired general manager Nico Harrison. The face of the poor decision to trade Dončić and now a villain in Dallas had finally been released from his duties. Yet the front office remains stagnant, not willing to trade for any key additions to their team at the trade deadline, and the Mavericks suffer from a below .400 record. A key reason for the lack of success has also been the injuries to Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving and Derek Lively II. It is safe to say that the Dončić trade has had a truly negative impact on the Dallas Mavericks, and the Dallas sports community. The winning culture that was being developed with Dončić now has to be reshaped with Flagg. Flagg will continue to develop as a young star, and will hopefully one day have a supporting cast that can help win a championship. It is safe to say that a year later, the Dallas Mavericks regret trading Luka Dončić.