The aftershocks are just now quieting from a seismic NBA trade that, proverbially, shook houses, sent heirloom plates flying off shelves, and saw a 25-year-old perennial MVP candidate, Luka Doncic, sent to the Boston Celtics’ archrival Los Angeles Lakers.
To borrow a memed phrase from Colin Cowherd, the Dallas Mavericks somehow found themselves saying, ‘Hey Luka: Anthony Davis is here. We’re all good.’
Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison attempted to defend a defenseless move in the wee hours of Sunday morning, telling ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, “I believe defense wins championships…getting an All-Defensive center and an All-NBA player with a defensive mindset gives us a better chance.”
The trade’s immediate and obvious ramifications come for the Mavericks, whose fans hoped to have Doncic in their lives for the remainder of his still-young NBA career, and the Lakers, who have once again found a way to acquire a generational superstar.
But, as Adam Jones and Rich Keefe detailed Monday on WEEI, there’s also a handful of implications for the Celtics.
“I think this trade does say a few things about Boston and their standing in the league,” Jones said.
“Number one, the Mavericks look at it and go, ‘We were there last year, we cannot beat [the Celtics], we need to do something now,’” he continued.
Basketball fans can and will quibble over the return the Mavericks fielded, but the seeds of this trade were likely sewn last summer when the Celtics used Doncic’s porous defense to help win their 18th championship.
Jones also noted how Doncic’s poor conditioning, which was reportedly a significant factor in Dallas’ decision to trade him, underscores how lucky Celtics fans are.
“You should feel real good about Tatum and Jaylen and their dedication to the game compared to Luka,” Jones said.
“Those are two guys who, largely, play every night. Those are two guys who are ridiculously in shape. You don't have to question their motor, their dedication. There might be an off night here where they spend an extra night in LA, where I'll question it, but largely, they're dedicated to the game,” he continued.
Outside of Doncic, stars like Joel Embiid and even Nikola Jokic don’t come into the season looking like they’re in the best shape to play basketball. The conditioning and dedication that Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have should not be forgotten by Celtics fans.
“When you see a guy like Luka moving, you know what it is. He's not a two-way player. He's not in shape. Those guys are two-way players, and they're in shape, and that's why they're here, and Luka’s on the move,” Jones said.
Keefe also believed that the move was a response, in some form, to the Celtics’ dominance.
“I think every year in the NBA when superstars get traded, and it's almost every year, which is kind of fun, I think it usually speaks to how good the top team is, or the defending champ is,” Keefe said.
“Teams had to go crazy when the Warriors were what the Warriors were. Or even [the Heat] was a response to the Celtics, LeBron said it himself, like we all went up against the 2008 Celtics and were like, ‘We can't beat those guys by ourselves.’ Every kind of super team, or at least champion, I feel like, has then pushed these other teams to make these trades,” he continued.
Keefe believes that the 29 other teams are now using Boston as a benchmark for contention.
“It's like, ‘Hey, do we like our team? Yeah, we like our team, but are we gonna be able to beat the Celtics? No. So let's shake it up,’” Keefe said.