The Mavericks are already feeling the consequences of letting Luka Doncic go. The first two games of the 2025-2026 NBA season clearly show what losing the Slovenian star cost Dallas and what he can bring to the Los Angeles Lakers in the long run, especially if he keeps the shape he won over the summer.
Much was written at the time about the unexpected trade in which the Lakers sent Anthony Davis and a first-round pick to the Mavericks in exchange for Doncic. However, the fruits are starting to be seen this season.
CBS Sports analyst Sam Quinn recently explained that head coach Jason Kidd has fully embraced general manager Nico Harrison’s philosophy that “defenses win championships,” without good results so far.
Klay Thompson, at 6-5, is the Mavs’ smallest player, and rookie Cooper Flagg (6-9) is filling in at point guard, when his natural position is power forward. This isn’t working for them.
Dallas misses Doncic’s offensive power
Quinn pointed to an interesting statistic to demonstrate the Doncic effect. In his first two games this season, the Slovenian has scored 92 points, the same offensive output the Mavericks had in their first game.
“He [Doncic] can thank his much ballyhooed weight loss for that,” Quinn explained
He noted that although his weight gain hurt his production somewhat, he remained the engine of Dallas’ offense until his last day with the team.
This season, Dallas is 0-2, with losses of 125-92 to the San Antonio Spurs and 117-107 to the Washington Wizards. This makes it clear that their roster strategy isn’t working.
As Quinn explained, “Even if Dallas manages to put together an elite defense, the offensive sacrifices it would make are going to leave them so far behind on that end of the floor, since a return to the Finals will probably be impossible.”
Doncic is an entire offense himself
The Lakers’ start to the season has been somewhat shaky. They lost their opener 119-109 to the Golden State Warriors and won 128-110 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
However, Doncic’s offensive production has raised the hopes of the team and the fans. Even without LeBron James anchoring the defense, the Lakers looked good against two playoff teams from last season.
According to Quinn, “Dallas will get better. Doncic will probably get slightly worse. But if the first week of the season is any indication, Doncic is winning this breakup handily.”
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