On February 1, a blockbuster trade stunned the entire NBA world. From out of nowhere, ESPN insider Shams Charania tweeted out that the Dallas Mavericks had traded Luka Doncic (along with Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris) to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick. Many believed that Charania was hacked, and for good reason. After all, what reason did the Mavericks have to trade their franchise cornerstone away without drumming up a huge bidding war among the rest of the association?
The hits keep on coming for the Mavericks, with their fanbase turning their backs against the team especially after the top brass in the organization was calling Doncic out for his work ethic issues and lack of defensive impact — confounding criticisms levied against someone who has proven in the past that despite these shortcomings of his, he still is as impactful of a player as they come, as it was Doncic who was the best player of the team that went all the way to the NBA Finals in 2024.
But the Mavericks’ loss is the Lakers’ gain, and at the moment, the returns on the trade haven’t been very promising for the team that lost Doncic. Davis has only played in one game for Dallas; while he admittedly was excellent during that game, it didn’t take long for him to fall prey to a groin injury that currently has him on the mend with no clear timetable for a return.
With that untimely injury for Davis, the optics of the trade have only looked worse for the Mavericks. But what if there was an option for Dallas to pull an UNO reverse card on the Lakers and deal them a dose of their own medicine — rescinding the trade out of seller’s remorse?
What if the Mavericks rescind trade due to a failed Anthony Davis physical?
The Lakers appeared to be one of the biggest winners of the trade deadline. Not only were they able to pull off a trade for Luka Doncic out of left field, they were also able to snag Mark Williams, a 23-year-old center who could grow as a part of the team’s long-term core. However, the trade was never finalized, and days after the trade was initially reported, the Lakers backed out of the trade, citing a failed physical from the Charlotte Hornets big man.
While this trade put the Lakers in a bad spot in terms of their center rotation (they are having to rely on Jaxson Hayes and Alex Len, which is not recipe for success to say the least), this at least prevented them from giving up a valuable 2031 first-round pick, allowing them to reassess their roster-building process around Doncic and LeBron James.
The press release may be that they weren’t too pleased with Williams’ physical, but many fans believe that LA simply decided not to push through with the trade after they realized that they were giving up too much for an oft-injured big man who doesn’t have the longest track record of productive basketball.
Perhaps the Mavericks could also utilize the same tricks; after all, Anthony Davis has such a lengthy injury history and he was on the mend when the Mavs traded for him. Maybe there was a loophole that Dallas could have found that would have allowed them to cancel the deal if the criticisms surrounding their decision to trade Doncic reached untenable levels.
Gauging the reaction of the NBA world in the Lakers’ Luka-less world
When the initial news of the trade broke out, the NBA world was in disbelief. But imagine the total chaos that would ensue if the Mavericks were to cancel the trade and awkwardly have to welcome Luka Doncic back to the roster after dragging his name through the mud in the press in their attempt to justify the deal.
There would be plenty of memes about how odd it would be for both parties to have to play nice; Doncic would have to suck it up and move on from the slights the Mavs hurled at him, and it’s not quite clear how well he would play for a team that blindsided him. The relationship between the two parties, one would assume, would reach irreparable levels. This would eventually lead to a trade request from Doncic in the offseason.
Meanwhile, things would be less awkward for the Lakers as they welcome back Anthony Davis. It’s not like the Purple and Gold were shopping him; it was the Mavericks brass that came to them and approached them about a potential Davis-Doncic swap — a proposition that no general manager will refuse.
It helps that Davis, a Klutch Sports client, is tight at the hip with LeBron James, so having James in his corner would help a lot in easing whatever tension there would be between Davis and the Lakers.
But in the hypothetical world of this canceled trade, there will not be a bigger butt of the joke than Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison. Imagine trading Doncic away due to health concerns only for the main piece that they get in return to not pass the physical? The jokes will write themselves — and it’s even possible that Harrison loses his job due to the poor fan reaction all of this would generate.
Luka Doncic is going to be the most pursued player ever on the trade market
With the Mavericks having burnt their bridge with Luka Doncic, the Slovenian superstar’s hand will be requesting a trade. At least for the Mavs’ sake in this imagined world, trade talks will be opened to the entire league instead of him being exclusively available to the Lakers.
Doncic would generate a bidding war like no other. Any team with a star to dangle will have to think twice about swinging a trade for the perennial MVP candidate. Perhaps only Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are the ones who wouldn’t be considered in any trade for Doncic.
Imagine a team like the San Antonio Spurs getting a crack at Doncic; they could even re-package De’Aaron Fox along with Stephon Castle and whatever assets it would take just to pair Doncic and Wembanyama. What if the Thunder go all-in and trade their treasure trove of draft assets to build a Doncic/Gilgeous-Alexander backcourt?
Teams like the Minnesota Timberwolves, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Houston Rockets will have to think long and hard about a potential trade for Doncic. Is giving up Anthony Edwards in a Doncic trade worth it? Will the Cavs look to go all-in and dangle Darius Garland or Donovan Mitchell or Evan Mobley if they come up short in this year’s playoffs? Are the Rockets going to expedite their rebuild, trading players such as Amen Thompson and Jalen Green to acquire the Slovenian superstar?
It’s hard to imagine that the Lakers will come anywhere close to being the highest bidder for Doncic’s services. They don’t have too many draft picks or young players, and in this universe, it will be a hard sell for the Mavericks to trade for Davis again after rescinding the initial deal.
Whatever the case may be, expect the Mavericks to at least recoup a ton of draft assets in the process of trading Doncic away. That, however, will still be cold comfort for their fanbase. Doncic was expected to follow the footsteps of Dirk Nowitzki; instead, Mavs fans now have to witness one of the greatest-ever players in franchise history play for the Lakers — which might be the most heartbreaking sight ever.
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