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The news of the Dallas Mavericks sending Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis is about 12 hours old at this point, meaning the basketball world is still buzzing about it.
Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison believes the Mavericks' lineup will look similar to that of the Cleveland Cavaliers – whose 39-9 record is the best in the NBA – once Davis arrives and Dereck Lively II returns from his ankle stress fracture.
“I think if you look at the Cleveland Cavaliers, that’s what you’re going to see,” said Harrison, a reference to Cleveland’s imposing frontcourt of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, via The Dallas Morning News. “Anthony’s probably going to finish games at the five, but you’re going to see those guys play together. And when Lakers won, he played the four.”
The Mavericks, currently sitting at 26-23 and No. 8 in the West, hope the addition of Davis to the lineup helps them improve their playoff position and puts them in a better position to succeed.
Dallas has not been able to match the success it had last season, in which it finished as the runner-up to the NBA Champion Boston Celtics.
The Mavericks return to action on Sunday afternoon when they visit the Cavaliers. Tipoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT.
Who won the Doncic/Davis trade?
With the news of the blockbuster exchange between the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers still hot off the presses, speculation of which side came out ahead has already begun.
USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt gave the Mavericks a B-.
“Let’s start with this: trading a 25-year-old star, not yet in his prime, who is already a five-time All-NBA selection and led the franchise to the Finals in 2023-24 is bold and risky,” Zillgitt wrote. “The Mavs parted ways with one of the NBA’s most gifted offensive players who finished third in MVP voting last season and is close to being a 30-point per game triple-double player.”
Zillgitt gave the Lakers an A-.
“Certainly, this was a move made for the present but also the future,” Zillgitt wrote. “The chance to acquire a player of Doncic’s caliber doesn’t come along often. James won’t be around forever. The Lakers are now expecting to have one of the league’s best players for the next decade.”
Time will tell which franchise ends up in a better long-term position as a result of the move. Additionally, the length of Doncic's tenure with the Lakers could be short as he is set to hit the free-agent market after the 2025-26 season.
