5 reasons why the Dallas Mavericks were absolutely right to trade Luka Doncic

 Making a case for the Mavs

The Dallas Mavericks made one of the least popular trades in NBA history before the deadline, sending Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a draft pick. While the timing of the transaction was certainly bizarre, we’ll come up with five reasons why Dallas ultimately made the right move to jettison Doncic. All statistics are sourced from Basketball Reference.

5. No defending a lack of defense

It’s not a revelation to say that Luka Doncic’s defense is a huge weakness. Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd was asked during the 2024 NBA Finals about the Boston Celtics’ hunting of Doncic, because they were confident they could score on him. Kidd told Sports Illustrated, “he’s definitely got a bullseye on his chest, so he’s got to be able to guard and understand that we’re there to protect him if he does get beat.”

Historically bad?

ESPN’s Tim McMahon said in March 2023 that a scout believed Doncic was “the worst transition defender in the history of basketball.” That’s obviously a scathing criticism of his shortcomings. Even if it may be an exaggeration, Doncic has been repeatedly targeted by other teams and has done little to dispel the idea that he’ll do his part individually.

A tough spot

Granted, Doncic is one of the best offensive players in NBA history so far in his career, but his lack of defensive chops has put Dallas in a bind. He can almost never be relied on to check the other team’s top perimeter option, which causes a domino effect that Kidd and the team has to adjust to. It’s not an impossible problem to solve, but it has put them in a predicament during big games.

4. Changing of the guard

It’s no secret that Mark Cuban was a massive fan of everything Doncic brought to the Mavericks organization. As Sports Business Journal and others captured, Cuban once said years ago that he’d “sooner divorce his wife” than trade Doncic away. However, Cuban is no longer the majority owner of the team, as he sold the controlling stake to the Adelson family late in 2023.

The new bosses

We have to take Cuban at his word with the Doncic loyalty he once proclaimed, since he had undying devotion to Dirk Nowitzki for his stellar NBA career. However, the Adelson’s and general manager Nico Harrison never professed that same level of commitment, even if people believe they should have.

more

Sports Unlimited News

230.9K Followers

5 reasons why the Dallas Mavericks were absolutely right to trade Luka Doncic

Story by sportsunlimitednews.com • 8h

Different world

Cuban was a fixture behind the Mavericks bench and in the locker room for many years, but the Adelson’s don’t have that same level of connection to the team. That doesn’t justify trading their best player, but if both Doncic and the Adelsons weren’t on good terms behind the scenes, it would be difficult to fake that over the course of the next five years or more.