There really is only one way to evaluate the Luka Dončić-Anthony Davis trade. With all due respect to Anthony Davis, it was a steal for the Lakers, and that’s before everything went to hell in a handbasket for the Mavs in the five weeks since the deal.
Even in a good scenario, Dallas traded away a generation superstar for a title window of only a few years, one that has basically since closed. The Lakers, meanwhile, busted open their title window and are racing toward it already this season.
In short, this was not a fair trade.
And that makes Jeanie Buss’ comments on the trade very funny. Speaking to NPR recently for an interview, Jeanie spoke about the deal and certainly had some interesting comments.
“We gave up a lot to get Luka Dončić. We’re happy we have him. We have lost the last three years in a row to the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs, and we really didn’t have anything that was going to look different going into the playoffs again. Anthony Davis was complaining about where he was being played and he wasn’t happy. So I think this was a positive for both teams. They got what they were looking for; we got what we were looking for.”
Lot to unpack in this short answer!
First, it’s hilarious that she’s in just as much pain about the Nuggets as Lakers fans because she thinks they’ve lost three straight seasons to them. While it’s only two consecutive playoffs, it does feel like a lot more than that.
Second, let’s talk about it being a “positive” for both teams. Because it wasn’t. And this is a hilarious way to spin that it was actually good for both teams.
Lastly, there’s a very interesting word choice there in saying AD was “complaining” about where he was being played. I’m not sure many people interpreted it as complaining when he asked for a center. I also don’t think anyone interpreted it as him not being happy, either.
Maybe that’s just a poor choice of words from Jeanie. But that’s some pretty notable phrasing of the situation coming from the owner.
And phrasing it as “he wanted to play for a center so we sent him to another team” is wild, too.
Perhaps the takeaway here is that owners should talk less about trades! Ask the Mavs how they feel about their owner and basically every executive discussing this trade.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at@JacobRude or on Bluesky at@jacobrude.bsky.social.