As the dust settles around the most shocking transaction in NBA history—the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick—so many questions need answering to fully appreciate the immeasurable consequences of a trade this huge.
The biggest question is obvious: Why? Why would the Mavericks trade a 25-year-old walking triple-double with five All-NBA first-team selections? And if they were set on doing it, why wouldn’t Dallas shop him around to, at minimum, increase the quality of the Lakers’ trade package or find an even better return? Why, why, why would general manager Nico Harrison do any of this unprompted, as he admitted the franchise received no indication Doncic wanted to leave Dallas? (Doncic confirmed this Tuesday in his introductory Lakers news conference.)
