The NBA is a league in which player movement is a large part of league operations. During every offseason and before every trade deadline, fans and analysts unite to predict trades with our own crystal balls and effectively aspire to change the fates of our favorite clubs. Every once in a while, a trade happens that is so shocking that it alters the landscape of the league; examples would be Pau to the Lakers in 2008 and Shaq to Miami in 2004. However, there has never been a trade that not only altered the current landscape of the league, but also knocked it on its ass until the Lakers traded away Anthony Davis to acquire Luka Doncic.

To save you the time, I’ll just come out and say it, players of Luka’s caliber just DO NOT get traded at this point of their careers: 25 years old and a current top 5 player. Not only do those players not get traded, they CERTAINLY never are blindsided by the organization that drafted them. What we have just witnessed is literally unprecedented, and it has shaken the league forever. There are many reports out there seeking rationale as to why the Mavericks would trade away a 25 year old superstar. Some of the reports state the Mavericks were nervous to sign Luka to the Supermax $345 million contract, they were concerned with him not being in shape, and they wanted to win now and Anthony Davis helped them do that. Those may seem like legitimate reasons to GM Nico Harrison, but to quote Ryen Rusillo on “The Bill Simmons Podcast”, I do not care if he’s 300 pounds while smoking a cigarette dribbling up the court, YOU DO NOT TRADE LUKA DONCIC.

Luka Doncic was drafted in 2018, and since then he has been a 5 time all star and also a 5 time First Team All-NBA player. Luka has more First Team All-NBA honors than Stephen Curry and Anthony Davis and yet here we are, with Luka traded before he reaches his prime as a player. There are few players in NBA history that have a comparable resume to Luke Doncic, and of those that do, those players were never even up for consideration to be traded. Nico Harrison’s job is literally at stake now. If the Mavericks are unable to win the title within the next three years, not only will he be fired, he will also never hold a position within an NBA front office ever again.

Perhaps the most amazing part of this whole trade is the fact that it was done in the shadows of both teams and the rest of the league (teams and fans). Somehow Rob Pelinka, GM of the Lakers, was able to negotiate this trade for Luka without having a bidding war involving other teams, and not having to mortgage more of the future. The fact that the Lakers acquired Luka for ONLY AD, Max Christie and (1) first round pick is insane. Earlier this season, it took the New York Knicks (5) first round picks in order to acquire Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets; a good player, but he has never even been an all-star. Luka is arguably top five, and the Lakers managed to bargain Luka out of Dallas; this fact alone makes the trade even more insane. If the Mavericks were so Hell-bent on getting Luka off their team, why wouldn’t they approach other teams and see the best package they could get for him? As a GM, it is literally Nico Harrison’s job to do his due diligence in any transaction to make sure his team comes out on top. I can assure you, if the entire league knew Luka was available, the Mavericks would have been offered insane trades including multiple picks and rotation players from majority of the teams in the NBA.

Tin-Foil Hat Time!

With an unprecedented trade of this magnitude, there is also a flock of conspiracy theories. I won’t discuss them all, but one of them is very interesting and I believe it should have some light shed on it. The current owners of the Dallas Mavericks are the Adelson’s. The Adelson’s are a wealthy family ($30 Billion+ Net Worth) who have made their wealth in Casinos in Las Vegas. Last year they purchased controlling shares in the Dallas Mavericks from Mark Cuban giving them controlling ownership. The rumors are they did this in order to be in a prime position to open new casinos in the Dallas area after new legislation legalizes gambling in the state of Texas. However, reports are that legislation has hit a snag, and the legalization of gambling may take an additional 2 years to ratify. With this new knowledge, there is speculation that the ownership of the Mavericks had no interest in paying anyone $345 million on a Supermax contract simply because their long-term plan was to buy the Mavericks in order to have a foothold to create their new casinos. In laments terms, the Adelson’s aren’t NBA people, they are Casino people and the Casino venture is their #1 reason for buying the Mavericks. So essentially, Luka Doncic was traded to the Lakers because the $30 Billion net worth owner did not want to pay their superstar $345 Million. Of course, this is all speculation, but it would make sense; even if it does not make logical sense in terms of basketball.

New Mavericks Owner, Miriam Adelson, on right. Former Owner Mark Cuban on Left

Whatever the reason may be for trading Luka, it is irrelevant. In the NBA, it is a team’s goal to obtain a player of this caliber and then never let them leave once they are there. These generational players are so difficult to draft and trade for, that they become “untouchable” assets. Up until Saturday night, Luka WAS untouchable. As of February 2^nd, 2025, there are no longer untouchable players in the NBA. If a 25 year old Luka Doncic can be traded away, then everyone is on the trade market at all times. The landscape of the league has changed, and we will be discussing the lasting effects of this trade for the next 50 years and maybe even longer…