You’ll likely never see America’s obsession overshadowed during its biggest week ever again.
The National Basketball Association has always played second fiddle to the National Football League, especially during Super Bowl week. However, something must be in the Dallas water because Mavericks General Manager Nico Harrison made one of the most shocking trades in American professional sports.
Harrison shipped superstar Luka Dončić to the Lakers in the dead of night, sending millions into shock and causing even more to lose sleep. It’s a move that has resulted in “heightened security” for the Mavs GM, and while one can see the immediate benefits that Anthony Davis and Max Christie provide the Mavs, it’s impossible to label this trade as anything but a loss for Dallas.
In his debut, Davis dominated the upstart Rockets, unfortunately for Davis and the Mavericks he would leave the game with a serious adductor strain. Even if Davis gets healthy and dominates for the next six months, guiding the Mavericks to a championship, this move will never be worth it for Dallas.
For the Lakers, this was a very easy decision: you move on from Davis, who would’ve walked when LeBron James retired, and in return, you land the next great Laker. However, the immediate consequences are dramatic.
Initially after parting from Davis, the Lakers roster made little sense. They had one NBA center on the roster, who, prior to the Davis trade, was playing less than 18 minutes per game. A lack of size means the Lakers will struggle defensively for the rest of the season, and it’s difficult to imagine a team with Jaxson Hayes playing 30 minutes a game will win a playoff series. Since the passing of the deadline, the Lakers signed a career backup, Alex Len, who hasn’t scored more than 10 points per game since 2019 and has never averaged more than 10 rebounds a game. On paper, Len’s 7-foot frame looks enticing, but Len hasn’t contributed to a winning team since, ever.
Outside of Los Angeles, six more all-stars landed in new places, the most interesting being De’Aaron Fox going to San Antonio to play alongside Victor Wembanyama. Fox is one of the best pick-and-roll players in basketball, which is odd considering the best pick-and-roll partner he’s ever had is Richaun Holmes. Now, next to Wembanyama, Fox will likely take an offensive leap and the Spurs will have a decent chance at making the play-in. The Kings got a decent haul for Fox; while not all in one trade, the Kings were able to flip some pieces to keep their team afloat. Zach LaVine is having an all-star caliber season and is more efficient than ever. They also added Jonas Valančiūnas to fix their rebounding woes. If you’ve watched any Kings games this year, you know that as soon as Sabonis isn’t on the floor, they become one of the worst rebounding teams in the NBA.
In a normal year, Jimmy Butler would be the most accomplished player traded. The five-time All-NBA superstar might find his happiness again as he heads to Golden State in a five-team trade. Butler had been suspended by the Heat three different times, and yet they managed to get a decent return for a disgruntled star who might be washed up. In return, the Heat get Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell, a good point-of-attack defender who head coach Erik Spoelstra will love. The Heat also got the Warriors 2025 first-round pick, which will likely be after the lottery; however, the Heat have done a fantastic job scouting players late in the draft. While it might not work out for the Warriors, it was a necessary move; they simply couldn’t allow the Stephen Curry era to go out as sad as it’s looked these past few months.
Personally, my favorite move was the Cavaliers adding De’Andre Hunter, who is having a career year and is a strong candidate for Sixth Man of the Year. While you can’t be sure that Hunter will continue his prolific shooting, it doesn’t hurt to add more shooting to an already great team, especially when it only cost you Caris LaVert and a guy whose nickname is the “minivan.”
In total, 56 players were moved, so next time you tune into a game, you might be surprised to find Kyle Kuzma rocking a Bucks jersey.
