Luka Dončić, who led the Dallas Mavericks’ stats for the past 6 seasons, was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in the middle of the 2024-2025 season. Dončić was traded to the Lakers on February 2nd of 2025 alongside teammates Max Kiebler and Markieff morris. The Mavericks in exchange, received Anthony Davis, Max Christie and the Lakers’ 2029 first-round draft pick.
The trade marked a major shift for both teams, altering their rosters and future financial plans. Senior varsity boys basketball captain, Daniel Reed, shared his perspective on the move.
Reed claims, “A trade of this magnitude has not been seen in NBA history.”
At the time of the trade, Dončić was out of the game with a calf injury he sustained in a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on December 25th, 2024. However, Dončić recovered from the injury in time to debut as a Laker on February 10th, in a victorious game against the Utah Jazz. Since his Lakers debut, Dončić has played 12 additional games, averaging 26.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 7.9 assists, per game.
“As of right now however, the trade is more beneficial for the Mavericks, they got an all-star, all-NBA player, and defensive menace in Anthony Davis who has been having an amazing season so far,” Reed said.
Since 2021, Dončić has been under a $215 million dollar five-year contract that will carry over with him to the Lakers. When Dončić’s contract expires in 2027, he will sign a new contract with the Lakers, yet to be priced. Still, Dončić will miss out on at least $116 million dollars of guaranteed salary because his transfer to the Lakers makes him ineligible for the supermax contract extension he would have received had he remained a Maverick. This contract would have been worth $345 million dollars over five-years, making it the most expensive contract in NBA history.
While Dončić’s departure came at a financial cost to him, some speculate that the Mavericks saw an opportunity to reshape their roster with the money saved. Junior, and Mavericks fan, Emmanuel Chukwurah, says financial factors played a key role in the decision.
“The Mavericks probably wanted to trade [Dončić] because they could use the money to sign better players in free agency and give contract extensions to Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis,” said Chukwurah.
Shortly before the trade, Dončić was in the process of purchasing a new home in Dallas, suggesting that he had envisioned a long-term future with the Mavericks. Just last season, Dončić was the leading scorer in the NBA, the same season he led the Mavericks to their first NBA finals appearance since 2011. Additionally, Dončić holds the Mavericks’ record for the most points scored in a single season and also led the franchise in triple-doubles.
“Losing Doncic, a player who has the potential to be a top-10 all-time great, is tough,” Chukwurah relays, “While Davis is a superstar, his injury concerns make this trade risky.”
Dončić started playing professionally in his home country of Slovenia, and then later Madrid before he was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in 2018. After he was drafted he was immediately traded to the Dallas Mavericks with whom he won the Rookie of the Year title in 2019.
