Fallout from the blockbuster trade between the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers continues to pour in.
Saturday evening, ESPN’s lead NBA insider Shams Charania reported that the Mavericks would be trading superstar Luka Dončić for Lakers big man Anthony Davis. One of the most widely shared sentiments after news broke was that the Mavs must’ve had some deep-seeded frustrations with Dončić. Otherwise, why would the team let go of the player that led them to an NBA Finals appearance last year?
That sentiment was perhaps best summed up by ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst in an appearance on SportsCenter late Saturday night.
“I had a current NBA All-Star text me and say, ‘Do you know how much the Mavericks must hate Luka?’”
–@WindhorstESPN on how the league is reacting to the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade pic.twitter.com/Z1afOJQm17
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 2, 2025
“The story of the moment, and what my phone is filling up with, is the reaction to the Dallas Mavericks making this move,” Windhorst began. “I had an All-Star, a current NBA All-Star, text me and say, ‘Do you know how much the Mavericks must hate Luka?’ I mean, this is what they’re talking about in the league. I’ve had veteran coaches text me and say…they’ve never seen anything like this.
“This was done because the Mavericks didn’t think that going forward with Luka was best for their franchise,” Windhorst continued. “Think about that statement. A 25-year old who has been first-team All-NBA the last five years and carried them to a Finals a few months ago. And they said, ‘We want out of the Luka Dončić business and we want out of it now.'”
Windhorst hasn’t exactly been easy on the superstar guard in the past, either. During last season’s NBA Finals, Windhorst went scorched earth on Dončić after he fouled out in a pivotal Game 3 against the Boston Celtics.
Brian Windhorst BLASTS Luka Dončić on ‘SportsCenter with SVP’ after Game 3 of the NBA Finals. 🏀🔥🔥🔥
(Doris Burke also called out Luka’s defensive effort on the ESPN on ABC broadcast: https://t.co/iAs1rZSpdI ) pic.twitter.com/rGlFwPYwNN
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 13, 2024
So this perception of Dončić as a below average, low-effort defender isn’t exactly new. And maybe that’s why this deal reached the finish line.
The Mavericks are getting Anthony Davis, one of the league’s best defenders. The team clearly wants to embrace a defensive identity, at least according to GM Nico Harrison who defended the trade by saying “defense wins championships.” Dončić doesn’t exactly fit that mold, but his talent is undeniable, and he was a key part of getting the team to the Finals last year.
Surely more details about how this trade came to be will become clear over the coming days and weeks. But less than 24 hours after the deal was reported, it seems the prevailing narrative around the league is that the Mavericks were deeply concerned with Dončić’s ability to become a better defender.
Maybe Windhorst was onto something following Game 3 last season.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.