On the night of February 1–2, 2025, three National Basketball Association (NBA) teams—the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, and Utah Jazz—concluded a blockbuster sports trade.
The deal centered on Mavericks combo guard Luka Dončić and Lakers forward-center Anthony Davis, who were principally exchanged for each other.
At the time of the trade, Dončić, who led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals in 2024 and had made five consecutive All-NBA First Teams, had established himself as the cornerstone of the franchise.
Mavericks fans reacted negatively to the trade and protested it after the announcement, with some calling for the firing of general manager Nico Harrison.
[2][3][4][5] Dončić's arrival was seen as the beginning of a new era for the Mavericks, as the illustrious career of team legend Dirk Nowitzki was coming to a close.
[11] Along with Larry Bird, George Gervin, and Tim Duncan, he is one of only four players to earn five All-NBA First Team selections in their first six seasons since the ABA–NBA merger.
Shortly after the trade, Harrison told the press that "defense wins championships" and that Davis was "one of the best two-way players in the league.
[27] A week after the trade, team governor Patrick Dumont told the Dallas Morning News that he wanted players who "worked really hard, every day, with a singular focus to win."
When the interviewer responded that the statement might imply that Dončić lacked those winning qualities, Dumont said that "there's a lot of things that come into play," and "we're focused on [team culture].
[29][30] John Hollinger opined that the final deal "was set up to get Dallas out of the luxury tax while still being cap-legal from L.A.’s end and just barely cleared both hurdles.
"[31] However, Dumont rejected suggestions that the Mavericks were unwilling to offer supermax extensions in general or that they traded Dončić to avoid paying the luxury tax.
[32] In a lengthy feature published shortly after the trade, ESPN reported that Harrison wanted to negotiate with only the Lakers, due to his desire to receive a player of Davis' caliber in return.
[33] On January 7, Pelinka and Harrison met at a coffee shop in the lobby of the Hotel Crescent Court in Dallas to begin discussions about the trade.
[27] Jazz CEO Danny Ainge was brought into the trade one week before it happened and did not know Dončić was involved until 30 minutes before the news broke.
Commentator and NBA Hall of Famer Reggie Miller called the leaks about Dončić's conditioning a "character assassination," although he clarified that he did not know for certain whether the Mavericks were the source.
[50] The Ringer's Rob Mahoney noted that while Dončić had a reputation for low defensive effort, "Dallas has allowed fewer points when Luka’s been on the floor this season, and dominated opponents in those minutes overall.
"[58] In addition, ESPN's Brian Windhorst noted that the Lakers were only guaranteeing themselves one and a half years of Dončić's services, due to his right to opt out in 2026.
Almost nothing that happens – deals, free agent signings, coach hirings/firings – rises to the level of, as the great Ben Bradlee used to call them, "Holy S--t" stories.
[63] Scott said "it is hard to capture in words how shocking this was even for people who follow the league closely,"[62] and Aschburner added that "even the most click-thirsty, fringe-media blogger would have scoffed at [the idea] a few hours earlier.
"[31] After Charania broke the news on X, many people assumed that he had been hacked, including SportsCenter anchor Phil Murphy[67] and Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton.
"[70] Other players simply expressed their shock, like Jalen Brunson, who made an April Fools' Day joke, and Josh Hart, who tweeted "Huh?????
[66] Several NBA executives expressed shock at the fact that the Mavericks negotiated exclusively with the Lakers, and argued that Dallas could have obtained a much larger return for Dončić in an open auction.
[71] Dylan Scott said that although Davis was an "excellent player," the overall package the Mavericks received for Dončić was "not much compared to previous blockbuster NBA trades.
[40] Some Dallas fans endorsed a conspiracy theory alleging that the Mavericks were intentionally alienating their fanbase so that they could better justify moving the team to Las Vegas, where the Adelson family does much of its business.
[76] However, team governor Patrick Dumont firmly rejected the allegation, saying that "Our family happens to live in Las Vegas, but we have investments all over the world.
[77] With respect to Mavericks players, Klay Thompson said it was a "joy to play with [Dončić] in those 22 games," but added that the team would welcome Anthony Davis "with open arms.
"[81][82] Marc Stein reported that Cuban was not consulted about the proposal and only learned of the trade (which he opposed) after Harrison and Pelinka had verbally agreed to it.
[83] Cuban had surrendered control over basketball operations after the 2023–24 season,[84][85] and following the trade, ESPN reported that he was "out of the franchise's decision-making tree".
[95] After being introduced as a Laker, Dončić declined to address the rumors that Harrison thought he was poorly conditioned, saying that he would prefer to take the "high road.
[96] The media highlighted that due to NBA salary cap rules, the trade cost Dončić as much as $32 million (per The Wall Street Journal).