Anthony Davis-Luka Doncic Blockbuster Trade Tanks Mavericks' NBA Championship Odds

The Dallas Mavericks made a franchise-altering trade on Saturday night, shipping Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in a deal that brought back Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick from Los Angeles.

The move was a complete and total surprise to all players involved and Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, according to multiple reports.

Yes, this is real. Sources tell ESPN: Full trade:

- Lakers: Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, Markieff Morris

- Mavericks: Anthony Davis, Max Christie, 2029 LAL 1st

- Jazz: Jalen Hood-Schifino, 2025 Clippers 2nd, 2025 Mavericks 2nd https://t.co/bltojdTaQj
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 2, 2025

Dallas, despite making the NBA Finals last season, has moved on from its franchise cornerstone in an attempt to improve defensively.

Doncic is currently out of the lineup with a calf injury, and Dallas had slipped to eighth in the West without him. While Davis -- a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate -- certainly improves Dallas on that end of the floor, this is an interesting move to make given Davis' age and the lack of draft capital the Mavericks received in return.

According to ESPN's Tim MacMahon, Mavs general manager Nico Harrison believes this deal gets his team back to title contention in the West.

“I believe that defense wins championships,” Mavs GM Nico Harrison told ESPN regarding his motivation to trade Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis. “I believe that getting an All-Defensive center and an All-NBA player with a defensive mindset gives us a better chance. We’re built to… https://t.co/iPfQvA4str
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) February 2, 2025

While Harrison may think one thing, the oddsmakers in Vegas think another. Following the move to trade Doncic, DraftKings Sportsbook dropped the Mavs to +3000. Prior to the deal, Dallas had been at +1400 to win the Finals despite falling into the play-in tournament picture in the West.

The move also boosted the Lakers' title odds, as they are now third in the Western Conference and sixth in the NBA to win the title at +2000.

While Davis is a great player, he is also banged up right now with an abdominal strain. The Mavs are betting on his two-way ability helping them match up with any team in the West. However, they are still down second-year big man Dereck Lively II for the forseeable future.

Moving on from Doncic allows Dallas to avoid having to pay him a supermax extension in the near future. However, if the Mavs flame out early in the playoffs and the Lakers make a deep run, Harrison may regret moving on from his All-NBA guard at this stage in his career.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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