Cowboys trading Micah Parsons is bad, but not like Mavericks trading Luka Doncic

The Dallas Cowboys actually did what many thought was impossible on Thursday when they traded superstar EDGE rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers for defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round picks. It's the second time this year that a Dallas team has traded a superstar in their mid-20s to a rival.

This trade instantly drew comparisons to when the Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. There are a few differences, but Sam Quinn of CBS Sports believes the Doncic trade is still worse.

"The Cowboys were a middle-of-the-pack team with Parsons," Quinn wrote. "They're a worse middle-of-the-pack team without him. They still have one of the NFL's better offenses. If they draft well and perhaps make a savvy trade or two, they could absolutely get the defense back up to speed in the next year or two before the offense falls off. Is that likely? Probably not. But the NFL is pretty forgiving when it comes to individual mistakes.

Mar 27, 2022; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons walks off the court with the jersey of Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (45) after the game against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

"The Mavericks were an undeniable contender with Dončić. They are emphatically not a contender without him. And it's not as though these were short-term labels. Having Dončić may well have led to a decade of contention if the roster around him had been managed correctly. Football players tend to have shorter shelf lives. Parsons almost certainly will age out of stardom before Dončić does. And their future without him just looks far bleaker.

"...That reality is what pushed the Dončić trade over the top. It was not only the worst trade in recent NBA history, but also the worst one the city of Dallas experienced in 2025 even if it faced stiffer competition for that distinction than we expected in February."

The Biggest Difference Between the Micah Parsons and Luka Doncic Trades

Both Luka Doncic and Micah Parsons wanted to be in Dallas long-term, but they'll now be continuing their careers elsewhere. But how they got there is very different.

Parsons was tricked into a contract negotiation with Jerry Jones in the offseason, and he told Jones to send the contract to his agent. That's where things started to deteriorate, as Jones reportedly never sent the contract over. That led to Parsons requesting a trade about a month ago, and for the longest time, Jerry Jones still believed he would get Parsons back for this season.

That never happened, and Parsons was finally dealt to the Packers while signing a four-year, $188 contract as soon as the trade was finalized, a record-breaking deal for a non-quarterback.

Apr 9, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) looks on as the Dallas Mavericks play a tribute video for Doncic before the game against the Lakers at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

And then there's Doncic. He never asked for a trade and has said repeatedly he would've signed a supermax contract extension with the Mavericks had it been offered, no matter how much general manager Nico Harrison tries to deny or dance around it.

Luka Doncic was crying on the bench in his first game back in Dallas. I'm not saying Micah Parsons won't, but there was a special connection between the city of Dallas and Doncic. The Mavericks blindsiding him and trading him without warning in the middle of the night for a horrific trade package will always be considered as one of the worst deals in NBA history.

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