The Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers have agreed on one of the most shocking trades in all of NBA history. Dallas, last season’s Western Conference champions, has dealt franchise guard Luka Doncic to the Lakers, where he will team up with LeBron James in an effort to bring a title to Los Angeles for the first time since 2020. Meanwhile, the Mavericks acquired a new anchor in the deal, former Defensive Player of the Year winner Anthony Davis, as they close the book on the exciting but controversial “Doncic Era”.
Arguably the most shocking aspect of the trade is that it has occurred just eight months after Doncic led Dallas to the NBA Finals, their first appearance in the league’s championship series since the Mavericks won their first and only (to date) NBA title in 2011. At 25 years old, Doncic is already a five-time first-team All-NBA selection whom many regard as a future MVP winner. Trading a player like this — especially in such a secretive way — has raised almost every eyebrow that can be raised in the Association, as fans, analysts, and executives try to understand how and why the Mavs made this franchise-resetting move.
How Doncic lost Dallas’ faith
Late in Game 2 of the 2024 Western Conference Finals, Doncic sank a game-winning 3-pointer to give Dallas a 2-0 series cushion. The Mavericks would close out the series in five games — but as Dallas celebrated, fans believe they have pinpointed the moment where Doncic’s relationship with his only NBA franchise unmistakably began to sour.
After Dallas took care of business against the Minnesota Timberwolves and won Game 5 of the Conference Finals, Doncic was filmed near the visiting locker room inside the Target Center in Minneapolis. Sporting “Western Conference champions” gear, Doncic was seen sipping from a beer in his left hand while conversing with his father, Sasa.
But in swooped Michael Finley, a former Mavericks star and Dallas’ Assistant General Manager/Vice President of Player Personnel. As Luka Doncic spoke with his dad, Finley removed the beer that his superstar player was holding, greeted Sasa Doncic, and walked away without acknowledging Luka — which left the guard looking a bit confused.
Finley and/or the Mavericks franchise clearly did not want Luka to drink (or be seen drinking), which lends at least some credence to the narrative that Dallas has allowed to filter out in recent hours: that the organization had “major concerns” about Doncic’s physical conditioning amid reports that he now weighs close to 270 pounds.
Doncic has missed over a month with a calf injury and has played only 22 games this season. In those 22 games, he has been dominant, averaging 28 points, eight rebounds, and nearly eight assists per game. He is one year removed from winning his first scoring title, and he could play his first game for the Lakers within a week as he enters the final phase of his recovery from injury.
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