Luka Dončić, the 25-year-old global basketball sensation, who is still years away from his prime, has been deemed inessential by the Dallas Mavericks, the team that initially welcomed him like he was the Second Coming. It would be like if Destiny’s Child traded away Beyoncé — as someone from X succinctly pointed out — or if The Rolling Stones decided they were better off without Mick Jagger.
Sports should make sense. Despite dramas on and off the court, fans have come to understand that there are certain rules governing it. There is logic in its game. But it seems that the stupidity infecting politics, business, and social media has made its way to sports, and what most rational minds believe is unthinkable no longer holds.
The more you think about it, the more confounding it gets. The most egregious thing about the trade is that the Dallas Mavericks organization chose to exchange their generational talent for far less than he’s worth. Even if there were “conditioning issues” or defensive issues with Dončić, it is beyond comprehension that they thought that this particular trade at this particular time was the best they were ever going to get for Dončić.
#MFFL pic.twitter.com/qVMcV2uh5m
— Luka Doncic (@luka7doncic) February 2, 2025
To add insult to injury, Dallas did this all on their own accord. Even Lakers star LeBron James did not know about the trade, according to NBA reporter Marc Stein. Dončić did not ask for this. He was merely a victim of circumstance, alongside thousands of fans who put their faith in an organization that, in hindsight, do not have their best interests at heart. In his letter posted hours after he got traded, Dončić wrote that he thought he would be in Dallas forever, and wanted to give the city a championship “so badly.” You don’t have to be a Dallas Mavericks fan to see how heartbreaking that is to read.
When Dončić was first dealt to Dallas from the Atlanta Hawks in 2018, Dallas was hailed for orchestrating one of the best trades ever. Now, all that goodwill is gone in place of the unthinkable — and once it’s all said and done, the unforgivable. Even as the news of this dies down and something absurd will occupy our feeds, the ramifications of the most “Holy Shit” trade in the history of the NBA will be discussed and dissected for generations to come.
BREAKING: The Dallas Mavericks are trading Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick, sources tell ESPN. Three-team deal that includes Utah.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 2, 2025
I've been covering the NBA for 37 years. Almost nothing that happens – deals, free agent signings, coach hirings/firings – rises to the level of, as the great Ben Bradlee used to call them, "Holy S–t" stories. You just get used to the unexpected.
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) February 2, 2025
This is a "Holy S–t" trade.
I'm aghast.
— Cassidy Hubbarth (@CassidyHubbarth) February 2, 2025
Luka must have wanted out no way 😳😳😳
— Paul Pierce (@paulpierce34) February 2, 2025
You a fkn lie!!! 🤥🤡 https://t.co/EYNRUbUFmj
— LeBron James (@KingJames) February 2, 2025
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) February 2, 2025
