Thoughts on the Luka Doncic Anthony Davis Trade

As I was drifting off to sleep the other night, my phone buzzed with a sports update. I usually don't pay much mind when this happens as I am going to sleep, but I just happened to be rolling over to get more comfortable and I saw my phone light up. So I checked and was shocked at the news. In fact, I thought it was a joke or some wrong reporting. I assumed it wasn't true at all to be honest with you all.

It was made official yesterday and I have seen a ton of reputable reporters confirming the story. So, it is true that Luka Doncic is now a Laker and Anthony Davis is a Maverick. There are some other players and picks in this trade, but Doncic and Davis are the story here. Again, writing it right now, it still doesn't seem real. I don't think it will sink in for me until I actually see them both play for their new teams. But, here we are. And with this being fully official, I have some thoughts.

I do have to say, this may be the biggest trade I've ever witnessed in my sports watching life. I have seen big names move, but there was some kind of caveat. Kawhi Leonard going to the Raptors was a one year rental. KD signed with the Warriors as a free agent, and did the same with the Nets. Hell, even his trade to the Suns wasn't as wild as this one. Back in the 90', when I first started to really watch the NBA, stuff like this didn't happen. I cannot pull one star for star player from that era. And if a guy changed teams, it was a free agent thing. There's a bunch of player movement in this new era, which is kind of cool. De'Aaron Fox was just traded to the Spurs. Zach Lavine was part of that deal. Paul George is a 76er, but that was free agency. And it seems like it's only a matter of time until Jimmy Butler is somewhere else. But this Luka for AD trade is otherworldly. I cannot wrap my head around all of this still, and it has been a couple of days. But pulling back and trying to gauge this, I do have some thoughts.

I am floored that both these teams gave up on guys who still seem to have a good amount left in the tank. I have my own personal issues with Luka Doncic. The way he plays the game of basketball bugs the hell out of me. He's a ball hog, unless he can hunt assists. He whines and complains so much that it has become a real problem. He picks and chooses when he wants to play defense, and when he decides he wants to play defense, he is a liability. He is a ball stopper and settles for far too many jumpers. His partying can be a problem and he seems to have issues with some of his teammates. But, the guy can put the ball in the basket. He is one of the better scorers in the NBA. Anthony Davis has some stuff too. He cannot stay healthy. He has been better about that lately, but all good things will come to an end. His jumper is nonexistent. He isn't as good a rebounder as someone his size should be. He is a little soft from time to time. But, he is an exceptional defender. He gets to the free throw line. And he knows how to win on the biggest stage.

When I try to figure out what Luka brings to the Lakers, I kind of come up empty. I am very, very curious to see how he meshes with LeBron. They both want the ball in their hands in crucial moments. LeBron has proven he is much better at this than Luka. The Lakers backcourt will now feature Doncic and Gabe Vincent. That doesn't move the needle much for me. Gabe Vincent's best days are behind him and Doncic is a zero defender. Austin Reaves and Dorian Finney-Smith, I guess, are the starting forwards. Again, Reeves is a zero defensively and Finney-Smith has never been able to recover his three point shot. At center they have Jaxson Hayes replacing AD. That is like hamburger replacing filet mignon. That's a major downgrade for the Lakers. As for the bench, who really cares. The Lakers will have massive defensive issues now. They also have a head coach that's in over his head. And LeBron hasn't said much about this, so who really knows how he feels about all of this.

As for AD to the Mavs, I actually like this more for them. It's going to be tough to replace Doncic's offense, maybe impossible, but they will have an incredible defense now. Kyrie Irving will take over as the main offensive threat, and this is okay. Irving is a fine scorer and a weird dude. Klay Thompson can shoot, but man oh man is he old. PJ Washington has been so much better since going to Dallas and Dereck Lively II is very young and very good. AD brings defense, a low post game and a winning pedigree. I don't know how long he will stay healthy, or if the Mavs will make more moves, but the fit with AD is so much better than the Luka fit on the Lakers for me. I guess time will tell.

This trade is colossal. Moves like this don't happen ever. Two stars don't get traded for each other unless they're way past their prime. These two aren't close to past their prime. Luka is still in his mid 20's, and AD is a young 30 or so year old with a ring. This is wild and I wonder if more big names will get moved in the next three days. But, no names will be as big as these names. This is a wild, wild trade. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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