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Superstar stunner: Luka traded to LA
Ben Remis
February 03, 2025
Good Morning! Today is Monday, February 3rd. Here’s what happened over the weekend in the world of sports.
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.
This is a "Holy S--t" trade.— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc)
5:39 AM • Feb 2, 2025
THE LUKA DONCIC TRADE
Late Saturday evening, news broke that the Dallas Mavericks had traded superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis. The trade was so surprising that most people believed it to be a hoax– only after a second tweet by NBA insider Shams Charania did the world realize the megadeal had truly taken place. Let’s break down each side of this massive trade, starting with the Dallas Mavericks:
DALLAS PERSPECTIVE
The full trade was Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris to LA for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first round pick (plus some salary cap maneuvering with Utah). Two questions immediately jump out:
Is this all the Mavs could get? Apparently general manager Nico Harrison targeted Davis and approached LA specifically about trading Luka. But you’d have to imagine that if more teams knew a superstar was available, a bidding war would have driven up the price. AD is a great player, but he’s 31 and often injured. Dallas couldn’t even get a second 1st round pick? The new-look Mavericks might be pretty good in the short-term with a team built around Davis and Kyrie Irving, but the future has been altered drastically
More important in analyzing this deal is the why: why was Dallas compelled to trade away a generational talent at 25 years old? Apparently they had concerns about Doncic’s conditioning and the upcoming financial commitment of a supermax deal after next season. I’m sorry, but there’s gotta be more to it than that. This guy took your team to the NBA Finals last year! He’s one of the best players in the world! Those players are usually treated as the most valuable commodity in sports.
Don’t just take my word for it– here are some thoughts from a real-life Dallas Mavericks fan who was nice enough to share a few words in the aftermath of the deal:
For the last 25 years, the Dallas Mavericks have been a relatively well-run, fun-loving team led by a crafty European. First there was Dirk Nowitzki, and then came his possibly more talented heir, Luka Doncic. It was a storybook succession, and there should have been no debate about the foundation and future of this team. It was so easy to see! You had Luka Doncic and he loved being a Maverick. He took you to the Western Conference Finals just about every year. And now he has to wear the purple and gold. Those colors add insult to injury, but this day is about the devastating gut punch felt by Dallas sports fans. Nico Harrison didn’t even try to get full value for this once in a generation talent. Luka is a bonafide superstar who will drop 60 every time he plays the Mavericks from now on out. I hope he does, because the only way to describe how I feel is betrayed. The Mavs lost a lot of fans today. No disrespect to Anthony Davis– he’s in an impossible position he has no control over. But this is the type of move that people will not forget. It will go down as the worst trade in NBA history… I guess it’s time to find a new hobby.
LAKERS PERSPECTIVE
Luka and LeBron is an odd fit, and the Lakers are going to struggle defensively without AD in the middle of the floor. But who are we kidding? LA absolutely smashed this trade. A 25-year old top-five player in the world doesn’t come around too often. Luka and LeBron are basketball geniuses, and between the two of them and head coach JJ Redick (a former Doncic teammate), the Lakers are going to be just fine this season. But more important than that, this sets up the franchise incredibly well for the future, a classic Lakers move to pass the baton from one superstar to the next. This is assuming LA re-signs Doncic when his contract expires after next season, of course. Honestly it feels silly explaining why this is good for the Lakers- they got freakin’ Luka Doncic! For all the reasons the trade made no sense on the Dallas side, the Lakers are the beneficiaries.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
So as you can see, once again we had an electric weekend of college basketball. A few of the highlights– John Calipari returned to Kentucky for the first time since leaving this past year, and his Arkansas team pulled off a huge upset. Tennessee crushed Florida in a battle of top 10 teams. Boston College scored five points in four seconds to stun Florida State. And Kansas… well, the Jayhawks blew a massive 21-point halftime lead and lost to Baylor by double-digits. Remix Bracketology debuts this week!
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
First, a shoutout to (12) Kentucky guard Georgia A’Moore, who dropped 43 points in a 95-86 win yesterday over (13) Oklahoma.
But the story of the weekend was in Iowa. On the day the Hawkeyes honored Caitlin Clark by retiring her iconic 22 jersey, Iowa shocked (4) USC. Trojan star JuJu Watkins led all scorers with 27 points, but on 8-22 shooting. The loss is just the second on the season for USC.
GOLF
Congratulations to Rory McIlroy for winning the Pebble Beach Pro-Am over the weekend. It’s Rory’s 27th career PGA win, another impressive accomplishment for one of the best golfers in the world. And while Rory won the weekend, I think the best moment came courtesy of Scottie Scheffler, who took an… alternate… route on this par five:
NHL
Friday night gave us the most notable score on the ice from this weekend, as the Boston Bruins beat the New York Rangers (more on them later) 6-3. David Pastrnak registered his 18th career hat trick in the win.
877! Alexander Ovechkin keeps scoring, and is one goal closer to the all-time record…
NBA
Right! They played actual games this weekend, too!
Sorry Mavericks fans, but Sunday wasn’t much better than Saturday night. Hours after the big trade, an injury-depleted Dallas team got blown out by the Eastern Conference leaders, the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs dropped 26 threes on the way to a 144-101 victory.
LeBron, on the other hand, was dominant in his game. The Lakers superstar had a triple-double at the iconic Madison Square Garden, as LA beat the Knicks 128-112.
Finally, the shot of the weekend goes to Jayson Tatum. The Celtics star hit this to win the game:
NOTEWORTHY NEWS
As if one trade wasn’t enough… De’Aaron Fox is a San Antonio Spur! The Kings sent Fox to San Antonio as part of a three-team deal with the Chicago Bulls, who sent Sacramento Zach LaVine. You can read more about the trade here, as it has a few other pieces and draft picks. But my initial reaction? So-so deal for the Kings, so-so deal for the Bulls, and super exciting for a new star duo in San Antonio. Bring on Wemby and the Fox!
Most of us thought the big trade news this weekend would be from the NHL– the Vancouver Canucks sent veteran center J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers. A big swing by New York, who are counting on Miller to rediscover his all-star form. Meanwhile, the Canucks flipped part of their return for Miller to acquire defenseman Marcus Pettersson from the Penguins. And on top of all that, the Dallas Stars acquired Cody Ceci and Mikael Granlund from the Sharks. So much player movement!
With all those trades, I’m not even going to try to recap all the WNBA moves from the past few days– you can catch up on all of the trades and free agent signings here. Just know that the Indiana Fever are committed to building a winner around Caitlin Clark.
Former MLB commissioner Fay Vincent passed away yesterday at the age of 86. You can read more abut Vincent and his impact on the game of baseball here.
Here’s an interesting fact– seven different Lions assistant coaches have left the team this offseason, taking on larger roles at different franchises. But the more timely coordinator news comes out of Columbus, where Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly is leaving the Buckeyes to join the Las Vegas Raiders. It’s been reported that Kelly will be the highest-paid coordinator in the entire NFL.
Breaking news– more players are changing teams! Starting pitcher Jack Flaherty signed a two-year deal with the Detroit Tigers. A good pickup for Detroit as they look to build on last year’s surprise postseason appearance.
Oh, and the Pro Bowl happened. No one watched it.
TODAY’S BIG GAMES (all times Eastern)
COLLEGE BASKETBALL:
WOMEN: (10) Duke @ (17) Kansas State, 7 PM on ESPN2
MEN: (3) Iowa State @ (11) Kansas, 9 PM on ESPN
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