thelesterlee
On Saturday night, I watched my guy Jey Uso win the 2025 WWE Royal Rumble then switched over to ABC to catch the second half of the Lakers coming into my city for a battle against the Knicks.
You know the game is over when the white Knick on the end of the bench starts stretching at the scorer’s table—so I immediately went to bed, furious that the Knicks were one OG Anunoby foot injury away from winning 6 consecutive games.
Then I woke up to a text with a link…
BREAKING: The Dallas Mavericks are trading Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick, sources tell ESPN. Three-team deal that includes Utah.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 2, 2025
The Los Angeles Lakers dogwalked the Knicks and got Luka fucking Doncic.
This was a huge deal and with every huge deal there are winners and there are certainly losers.
Let’s start with the biggest winners of the Luka Doncic Los Angeles Lakers trade:
1. Dallas Mavericks
When I first saw this, I had to make sure trolls weren’t deceiving me—quick shout out to our fav social media robber barons removing any way to distinguish between real news and fake information so everyone lives in alternate realities from each other, fighting about trans people and what race every pilot should be—Anyway, yea, once I sat with the news for a bit, Dallas’s decision made sense.
Let’s look at this from the Mavs perspective.
They drafted a kid with the potential to be the best player in the NBA.
Hired coaches and execs dedicated to helping Luka succeed.
They made a risky deal for Kyrie after he went full DarkWoke and burned the Brooklyn Bridge to the ground.
They intentionally tanked the final game of the 2023 season, punting on the play-in to maintain their first-round draft pick—selecting Dereck Lively, a perfect lob recipient for Luka.
They agreed to give washed and dried and folded Klay Thompson $50 million.
But every year, Luka is either out of shape or injured or injured because he’s out of shape.
This team went to the NBA Finals and lost, specifically because Luka—in the most important basketball games of his life—treated his defensive assignments the same way he treats the vegetables on his plate.
So Dallas went into this offseason with the belief Luka Doncic—after coming inches away from holding up the Larry O’Brien trophy, would lock in—eating right, hitting the gym, preparing to finally have the MVP season he was destined for.
Instead, this happened:
Tim McMahan reporting that Luka was pushing 270lbs. Mavs tired of his conditioning issues.
— Don Harris (@DonHarris4) February 2, 2025
Prior to the season, Joel Embiid signed a 3-year $193 million extension. He’ll be making $69 million in 2029.
If your star players prove to you, year after year, that they cannot protect their bodies then you do not have to pay them exorbitant amounts of money. I promise you Philly wishes they made this type of deal many moons ago before being handcuffed to Embiid’s crutches.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown can make that much because they’re in Celtics uniforms every night—somehow looking healthier and stronger every time we see them.
Luka Doncic was going to start asking to sign his supermax extension soon and I understand Dallas, with the new salary cap implications, not tripling-down on a guy who is one messy porn star Twitter rant away from being as reliable as Zion Williamson.
So why not put Luka Doncic on the open market?
I think that’s the most obvious part of this story. The Mavericks just wanted Anthony Davis.
These guys went to the NBA Finals last year—they don’t want future firsts and some overpaid role players.
Yes, Luka did a lot of the heavy lifting but this team is built to compete for championships today.
I don’t think fans realize that acquiring a ton of picks comes with the responsibility of scouting and getting lucky and developing and work.
Anthony Davis is a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. Right now.
Fuck drafting a teenager and hoping in 3-8 years they become that.
This team traded Luka because they didn’t want to spend a bajillion dollars on the local Red Lobster’s favorite customer.
You think the Mavs want to pay for a bunch of scouts to travel to high school and college gyms across the country the next few years?
There isn’t a better win-now player available.
Sure, they could’ve gotten someone like Amen Thompson from Houston who someday may, could be, as great but as far as NBA championship caliber All-Stars it was either Anthony Davis or like, maybe Kevin Durant in Phoenix and it’s clear Dallas wants AD to help establish a defensive identity.
Mavericks GM Nico Harrison on trading Luka Doncic:
“I believe that defense wins championships.”
Cold. pic.twitter.com/Do8gLhAxlA
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) February 2, 2025
Oh, it’s also important to look at how stars have historically handled trade requests.
If the Mavericks tell Luka they’re trading him, Luka them comes back with a list of teams he will or will not play for.
Now Dallas is beholden to the guy they don’t even want.
Dallas immediately loses leverage and instead of just going out there and getting the player they want, Anthony Davis, they’re stuck settling for some bullshit Brooklyn Nets trade package that’ll make Dallas a play-in team until their old stars retire.
If your franchise star exclusively cares about getting buckets above all else while not maintaining their bodies and ensuring they are healthy enough to play all 82 or at the very least, healthy enough to get back on defense, then move the fuck on.
I’m looking at YOU, Charlotte. #FreeLaMelo.
2. Los Angeles Lakers
Since trading away all their draft picks for Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook—the Lakers future was looking very Mad Max-ish once their 60-year superstar inevitably retired soon.
Lottttt of riding around alone in the desert looking for water and getting attacked by other teams every night when the sun goes down.
You know the best way to solidify your organization’s future? Trade for the 25-year-old perennial MVP candidate who just made the NBA Finals last season.
At one point in the not-so-distant past, the Lakers had Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart running the 3-man weave.
They have LeBron James and Luka Doncic now.
I don’t need to do pseudo-analysis on this, right? Like, the Lakers clearly won this trade.
Sorry, Max Christie.
3. Golden State Warriors
I don’t know how long the Lakers and Mavericks were in trade talks but I do find the return of Bronny James to be interesting all of a sudden—like, he’s actually been getting real NBA minutes recently.
It’s almost as if they’re allowing LeBron to play with his son on the Lakers for potentially the last time—LeBron could be traded next.
The Warriors are desperate for someone to run their offense while old man Steph runs around the perimeter and at 90 years old, I’d still rather have LeBron doing that than Andrew Wiggins or Brandin Podziemski.
Brandin Podziemski tries to bait the refs with this flop and Durant just stares at him pic.twitter.com/yfX7xghG9V
— Cage (@ridiculouscage) February 1, 2025
This Luka Doncic Los Angeles Lakers trade opened the door to the possibility that Golden State may be able to sneak in through and sneak out with LeBron James.
4. Luka Doncic
I don’t know man, I feel like being one of the best basketball players on planet Earth playing for the most popular basketball team on planet Earth may come with a few perks.
Luka Doncic is about to become the most famous player in the NBA.
Don’t be shocked when you start to hear guys on TV—ya know, the guys like Stephen A. Smith who only watch the games he’s literally in the studio at night to cover for ESPN—start calling Luka the best player in the league instead of Jokic or SGA or Giannis simply because he has a Lakers jersey on and he’s on TV more.
Luka has a brand new legacy and he hasn’t even played a game with the team yet.
And now onto the Losers…
1. Anthony Davis
Recently, Anthony Davis, a man of few words, opened up his mouth, complained about playing the center position and hoped the Lakers would make a move at the trade deadline to give him a big man to play alongside instead of being the biggest guy on the court—solely responsible for doing all the dirty work in the paint.
Well, congrats.
You got what you wanted.
Anthony Davis gets to be the power forward.
Next to Daniel Gafford in Dallas instead of in Los Angeles next to LeBron James and all those celebrities and shit.
Also, not great for AD’s new prank show that must’ve been filmed in LA. I mean, it was probably only going to be 1 season anyway but now that seems guaranteed.
2. Dallas Mavericks
The Mavs are winners in this Luka Doncic Los Angeles Lakers trade because they achieved exactly what they wanted.
The Mavs are losers in this Luka Doncic Los Angeles Lakers trade because they achieved exactly what they wanted.
Luka is a food-friendly, gym-dodger and they wanted Anthony Davis.
Sure.
Luka is also only 25 years old—joining the most physically fit player in NBA history and I’m assuming he’ll gain access to all of the state-of-the-art technology LeBron uses to stay in shape—plus, Luka now has a new chip on his shoulder, motivating him to become the player he wouldn’t be in Dallas.
So the Mavs sent a nuclear missile to Los Angeles and will have to face that nuclear missile 4 times a year, every year until Luka retires.
Kristaps Porzingis. Jalen Brunson. Luka Doncic.
The Dallas Mavericks have given away some of the most talented players in the NBA. Kristaps already has a chip with Boston.
If LA and/or New York win one before Dallas then we must consider sending the Mavericks down to the G-League or whatever league DeMarcus Cousins is getting quadruple-doubles in.
3. Local Dallas restaurants
The Dallas culinary industry is about to face an unprecedented recession now that Luka is out of town.
This is a great time to sell and DoorDash stock you have, they are about to have a crisis.
4. NBA ratings dorks
“The league is failing because the stars play in small markets like Dallas or Denver or Milwaukee of OKC” Ok. Luka Doncic is on the Los Angeles Lakers now and the ratings will continue trending down because the random, arbitrary fix you have for a television problem that literally every broadcasting company is dealing with right now maaaaay not be the actual solution to anything.
Folks will find something new to complain about.
5. Me
I have been fantasy-casting Anthony Davis as a New York Knick for years and today, that dream is officially dead.
At one point, I thought the Knicks could make a run at Luka Doncic. That dream, too, is dead.
Congrats to the Lakers for being handed another generational superstar, a once-a-decade tradition that well pretend is normal or fair.
Jalen Brunson and all of his college friends vs. everyone. Fuck it.
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