Dallas Mavericks named loser of trade between Luka Doncic and Lakers

The Dallas Mavericks are on the losing end of the Luka Doncic trade to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Dec 25, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Minnesota Timberwolves at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks are turning over a new era. They traded franchise superstar and generational talent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, returning Anthony Davis.

Adding a talent like Davis alongside Kyrie Irving is a solid move. It's not so great when realizing they had to give up Doncic to make said move. The Slovenian superstar was going to keep the Mavericks in title contention for years to come.

Doncic is just 25-years-old. He's yet to reach his prime and projects to be a multi-time MVP. Davis is passing his prime. Which of the two players is more desirable for a club's future? Certainly Doncic. Now the Lakers have that player, not the Mavericks.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic is introduced at UCLA Health Training Center. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey recently broke down the biggets winners and losers of the trade deadline. Of course, the Mavericks were listed as a loser of the deadline.

"The problem is that the Mavericks gave up a 25-year-old offensive hub who's already secured five All-NBA first-team nods and was off to one of the best starts to a career in NBA history. They did it in exchange for a soon-to-be-32-year old big man who is not in the same universe as Luka offensively and has struggled with injuries throughout his career," Bailey wrote.

Bailey is exactly right. The trade doesn't make sense. The Mavericks leveraged their future for Davis and a shot at a title in the next few years -- which they still would have had with Doncic on the squad.

The Lakers stumbled into a generational player, and, no matter how hard he tries, Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison isn't making the situation sound any better. In fact, with every excuse, he makes it sound even more like he doesn't know what he is doing.

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READ MORE: Klay Thompson expects ‘weird’ energy at Mavericks' first home game after Luka Dončić trade

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