The recent trade involving Luka Dončić has left many people baffled, especially with his incredible talent and the remarkable achievements he’s had since entering the NBA in 2018. Despite being a five-time NBA All-Star, the league’s top scorer last season, and only 25 years old, the Dallas Mavericks chose to trade him to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick.

Many are questioning why the Mavericks would let go of a young star with so much potential, especially after his famous clutch shot in the 2024 playoffs. However, sources suggest that the Mavericks were concerned about Luka’s conditioning, especially as his new Supermax contract extension looms.

The Mavericks were reportedly looking for a more defensively focused player to pair with Kyrie Irving, with Nico Harrison, the Mavericks’ general manager, emphasizing the importance of defense for championship aspirations. However, trading for Anthony Davis, who has a similar injury history to Luka, doesn’t seem to make much sense in the long term. While Davis is an elite talent when healthy, his injury concerns and age raise questions about how sustainable this pairing would be.

Additionally, the trade package raised eyebrows, with fans and analysts alike finding it unbalanced. The Mavericks were said to be concerned about Luka’s long-term fitness, but trading for a player with similar injury issues in Davis doesn’t solve the problem. The Lakers, who also had concerns about Davis’ durability, were reportedly reluctant to trade him at first. Ultimately, the move signals a shift in strategy for the Mavericks, but the reasoning behind trading Luka, especially for an older player with injury issues, has left the basketball world questioning their decision-making process.

The Dallas Mavericks just shocked the world. According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the Mavs have traded Luka Doncic, Markieff Morris, and Maxi Kleber to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and their 2029 first-round pick. The same guy who brought the Mavs to the Finals this past June will now don new threads.

Davis is a phenomenal defender, and he and Irving will make a solid duo, but this is an incredibly strange trade, especially with the way they went about it. Tim MacMahon of ESPN reported that the Mavs had been concerned with Doncic’s conditioning, but there are also reports that they made this deal in a rush. And that’s insane.

Here are five reasons why this is the worst trade in Mavericks history.

1. Luka Doncic is a generational talent

For as amazing as Davis is, especially on the defensive end, Doncic is one of the best offensive players in NBA history. The way he commands an offense is unlike almost anyone else in the league.

Doncic just brought the Mavs to the Finals, and now he’s no longer on the team. Getting rid of this level of player in any capacity is bound to draw serious scrutiny.

Doncic is 25 years old. Davis is 31. They just traded six years of their future to try to win right now.

Add in the fact that, at his age, Davis has dealt with a ton of injuries throughout his career, and that trade-off doesn’t make much sense.

Why give up one of the best players in the league, who is only 25 years old, for a guy leaving the prime years of his career?

3. Mavs didn’t put Luka Doncic on open market

According to all the reports coming out, the Mavs put this trade together without scouring the market. They called the Lakers, told them Doncic was on the table and got a deal done.

That’s absolutely unacceptable.

Trading a top-five player in the NBA without assessing the true market value for him is unacceptable. It makes sense that the Mavs want to win right now, but this is an irresponsible way to handle a talent as incredible as Doncic.

4. There aren’t that many other bad Mavs trades

Looking at the Mavericks’ history of trades, especially as outlined in this article from 2018, nothing compares to this deal.

There was the trade that sent Jason Kidd to the Phoenix Suns, the Mark Aguirre trade, and others. Trading a guy as amazing as Doncic clears them all.

And it’s not particularly close.

5. The Mavs still aren’t a top-five team in the NBA

For as solid as the Mavs will be with a defender as amazing as Davis, this deal still doesn’t quite get them to where they want to go in the short-term.

The Boston Celtics are still the reigning champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder still have a better roster, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been amazing this season, and the Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, and New York Knicks all have cases as better squads than this Mavs team, too.

Dallas traded their franchise superstar in an attempt to win now, and they aren’t even one of the best teams in the league.

That’s wild.