SI

Stugotz Boldly Calls Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis Deal a 'Nothing' Trade

Pundit makes controversial opinion known.

Kyle Koster

Stugotz doesn't see what all the fuss is about.
Stugotz doesn't see what all the fuss is about. / Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz on X
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With each passing hour the blockbuster Luka Doncic-LeBron James trade makes a bit more sense as the shock and awe from the immediate aftermath dissipates. One thing most people can agree on is that this is one of the most stunning and impactful trades in the long and storied history of the NBA.

A 25-year-old phenom, universally recognized as being a top-three player in the league suddenly sent packing to the glitziest media market to play alongside LeBron James. Anthony Davis shipped out also without warning away. Throw in the general bizarreness and timing of it all and there's so much to discuss.

Stugotz of the Dan LeBatard Show with Stugotz found a unique and controversial way to enter the conversation by downplaying the significant of it all on Monday morning.

"It's a team that's 28-19 in the Lakers, it's a team in Dallas that's actually a little bit worse—they're 26-24, they're on the outside looking in in terms of the playoffs," Stugotz said. "This is a nothing trade. It's big names, I understand why it's news. It's a nothing trade. The Lakers are not winning an NBA title anytime soon. The Mavericks are not winning an NBA title anytime soon. In fact, I would tell you the bigger trade made yesterday in the NBA was the one that got the Spurs De'Aaron Fox."

This right here is how you do sports radio. You say something that generates a strong reaction and then just let the chips fall where they may. And it's actually not that crazy of a stance if the bar for everything is how it impacts who wins the championships.

Of course, that's not the only metric here. And even if the Mavericks and Lakers both somehow get worse, well, that's a pretty significant result of the trade and the content will be rich.

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Kyle Koster
KYLE KOSTER

Kyle Koster is an assistant managing editor at Sports Illustrated covering the intersection of sports and media. He was formerly the editor in chief of The Big Lead, where he worked from 2011 to '24. Koster also did turns at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he created the Sports Pros(e) blog, and at Woven Digital.

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