{"id":405004,"date":"2026-01-10T22:35:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T22:35:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/405004\/"},"modified":"2026-01-10T22:35:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T22:35:11","slug":"mavericks-trading-luka-doncic-to-lakers-looks-even-worse-a-year-later","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/405004\/","title":{"rendered":"Mavericks trading Luka Doncic to Lakers looks even worse a year later"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Dallas Mavericks<\/a> are still recovering after the Luka Doncic trade changed everything for the franchise.<\/p>\n

With the trade deadline approaching, Bleacher Report writer Bryan Toporek ranked the top 10 players traded at the deadline in years past and Doncic was on top of the list.<\/a><\/p>\n

“Don\u010di\u0107 averaged a league-high 33.9 points, 9.8 assists and 9.2 rebounds per game in 2023-24. He’s the\u00a0only player in NBA history\u00a0to post those marks across an entire season. Oscar Roberston is the\u00a0only other player in league history\u00a0to match his career averages of 28.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.3 assists across his first seven seasons,” Toporek wrote.<\/p>\n

“Had the Mavericks opened up a bidding war on Don\u010di\u0107 instead of negotiating exclusively with the Lakers, one NBA executive told\u00a0Howard Beck\u00a0of The Ringer that they likely could have gotten “the biggest haul in NBA history.” Instead, they weren’t even able to wrangle both of the Lakers’ tradable first-round picks\u00a0because they kept talks so clandestine.<\/p>\n

“According to ESPN’s\u00a0Tim MacMahon, the Mavericks “were motivated to move Don\u010di\u0107 because of his constant conditioning concerns.” Had they not traded him, he would have become eligible for a five-year, $345.3 million supermax extension this offseason, which they seemingly had reservations about handing him.”<\/p>\n

READ MORE: The Mavericks’ ticking time bomb, Anthony Davis, may have just gone off<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/p>\n

Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis is defended by Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Doncic trade still haunts Mavericks<\/p>\n

Things have gone incredibly poorly for the Mavs since the trade, as they now find themselves among the league’s top rebuilding projects despite being the Western Conference representative in the NBA Finals in 2024.<\/p>\n

It doesn’t help that Anthony Davis is now out for what’s likely to be at least a month as he deals with his fourth major injury since the trade a year ago. <\/p>\n

The Mavs had their reasons for the trade, and regardless of how that has turned out for them a year later, they have to live with the consequences. They are beginning to figure things out with Cooper Flagg as their new franchise cornerstone, but until he turns the Mavs into a competitive team, the Doncic trade will still have a large sting.<\/p>\n

The Mavs are back in action against the Chicago Bulls at 7 p.m. CT inside the United Center. Fans can watch the game on FanDuel Sports Network or stream it on NBA League Pass.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: 3 overreactions as Mavericks lose Anthony Davis to another injury, fall again to Jazz<\/a><\/p>\n

Stick with\u00a0MavericksGameday\u00a0for more\u00a0FREE coverage of the Dallas Mavericks<\/a>\u00a0throughout the 2025-26 season<\/p>\n

Follow MavericksGameday on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0and Austin Veazey on\u00a0Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n

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