Luka Doncic is a Laker, a sentence that would have shocked anyone around the NBA if it was uttered before Saturday night, and may still shock fans and analysts even after knowing that it has become a reality.
The Mavericks superstar is heading to LA to team up with LeBron James after the Lakers sent Anthony Davis, a 2029 first-round pick, and Max Christie to Dallas, a deal that many agree is the most stunning trade in league history, and one that still doesn’t make much sense for the Mavs, who send a 25-year-old star and proven playoff performer out west for one first rounder and a 31-year-old star who has battled injuries for much of his career.
Add it all up, and Evan Roberts says there is something suspect about the trade, specifically the involvement of the team that wound up with Doncic.
“The one thing that can bring a sport to its knees is when they lose the trust of the people,” Evan said. “Over the weekend, a sport I love dearly, even when my team sucks, the NBA had something occur that - I’m sorry - how does it not affect your trust in the NBA?
“All of a sudden, out of nowhere...one of the brilliant young players in this sport is traded to the Lakers?! A team who - before I was even watching basketball - got handed star after star after star.”
The Mavericks reportedly kept Doncic’s availability under wraps to avoid alienating their star and intensifying an already “flammable” situation, but Evan doesn’t see any reason why the team wouldn’t have tried to open up the bidding to maximize the return for a star that rarely ever is put on the trading block at his age. Instead, in an era where Mikal Bridges, Rudy Gobert, or an aging Kevin Durant gets a boatload of first-round picks back in return, Dallas got one back, along with Davis, in exchange for a generational star in the midst of his prime.
In Evan’s eyes, the shocking trade feels “rigged” and “dirty.”
“I don’t mean to slight Anthony Davis, but no picks are going back except for one, and we find out that they didn’t even open up the bidding to any other team!” Evan said. “It doesn’t feel up to snuff. [The Lakers] got handed another star for the next 13 years...a 25-year-old star is going to LA, and how many stars in their prime have gone to LA?
“The NBA has not had a great year when it comes to TV ratings...Luka going to the Lakers and teaming up with LeBron for a year, and being the face of the Lakers for the next 10 years, is good for the NBA...I have a problem with the fact that it doesn’t pass the sniff test.”