The defensive prowess of Anthony Davis and the fitness problems of Luka Doncic are two of the reasons why the Dallas Mavericks have traded the Slovenian genius to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for the center from the California team.
“I think defense wins championships,” said Nico Harrison, general manager of the Dallas Mavericks, in a statement to ESPN on Saturday after the trade was announced. “I think getting an All-NBA and All-Defensive center with a defensive mindset gives us a better opportunity. We’re built to win now and in the future,” he added.
I think defense wins championships; we’re built to win now and in the future
Shams Charania, one of the best-sourced journalists in the league, told ESPN that it was the Mavericks who contacted the Lakers to offer them Doncic, who is now the one chosen by the purple and gold to lead the franchise when LeBron James decides to retire.
For his part, Tim MacMahon, an ESPN journalist with great access to the Mavericks, said that the Dallas Mavericks had “major concerns” about continuing with Doncic because of his “constant fitness issues” and the “supermax” contract extension they had to face this summer.
A difficult decision to explain
In any case, it will not be easy for the Texan management to explain the departure of Doncic, considered a generational talent and one of the most important stars in the NBA, a 25-year-old figure with as much present as future in the league and undoubtedly the absolute reference of the franchise since his arrival in Dallas.
After becoming a European basketball phenomenon with Real Madrid, Doncic landed in the NBA in the 2018 draft, where he was selected third overall by the Atlanta Hawks and immediately traded to the Mavericks.
The Balkan was hailed as Dirk Nowitzki’s heir in Dallas and Doncic responded in a big way, becoming one of the most difficult scorers to stop in the entire league with averages always on the verge of a triple-double.
This season, despite not having been able to play due to a calf injury since Christmas Day, he is averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game.Doncic is a five-time NBA All-Star and five-time All-NBA First Team selection. His charisma and talent have not only made him an idol in Dallas but also one of the most popular faces of the NBA in recent years.
He led the Mavericks to the Western Conference Finals in 2022, where they lost to the eventual champion Golden State Warriors, and in 2024 he led them to the NBA Finals, where they fell for the ring against the Celtics.
Alongside LeBron
He will now share a locker room with LeBron and will look to make his way onto the illustrious list of Lakers legends, which includes basketball giants such as Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain, Shaquille O’Neal and Spain’s Pau Gasol.
For their part, the Mavericks get a Davis who is one of the most dominant centers in the league over the last decade and who won with LeBron the Lakers’ last ring so far, the 2020 one in the ‘bubble’.
Without Doncic at the helm, Kyrie Irving will have to take over the reins of the team coached by Jason Kidd. The roster also includes Klay Thompson, an icon of the Warriors with four rings but who has suffered a significant drop in performance in recent years.
Davis will join a powerful rotation in the five spot, which includes Dereck Lively (now injured) and Daniel Gafford. P.J. Washington is another key name on the inside but in the power forward position. Doncic’s injury has taken a heavy toll on the Mavericks in recent weeks, who have fallen to eighth place in the Western Conference with a 26-23 record
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