The National Basketball Association (NBA) trade deadline is creeping up on teams as organizations look to make moves to fulfill their championship dreams or trade away players in hopes of going in different directions. Late Feb. 1 was no exception as the world was taken by surprise as we witnessed what may be the most shocking and impactful trade we have ever seen in the NBA.

The prize of this trade was 2019 NBA Rookie of the Year, multiple time All-Star and the reigning leading scorer in the league Luka Doncic as he was moved from the Dallas Mavericks to the historic franchise of the Los Angeles Lakers. 

Since the Slovenian guard was drafted, he was known to have potential that could make him a top tier player at the professional level. He had played with grown adults while he was just a teenager overseas and his scoring ability has already made him one of the premier players in the league as he led the NBA in scoring in the 2024 season and made it to his first NBA finals before losing to the Boston Celtics.

There was another vital piece to this trade as the Lakers, to get Doncic, had to give up former number one overall pick, Olympic gold medalist, and NBA champion Anthony Davis. Davis’s defensive presence with his offensive ability is something that many teams drool over as he is the prototypical modern day center.

According to NBA Reporter for ESPN Tim MacMahon, Mavericks General Manager Nico Harrison chose to pull the trigger on the trade as “I believe defense wins championships. I believe that getting an All-Defensive center and an All-NBA player with a defensive mindset gives us a better chance. We’re built to win now and in the future.” 

Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN) Senior NBA Insiders Shams Charania broke the news to the world. As he revealed the full details of players moving teams he included a statement above. “Yes, this is real,” Charania said. 

MacMahon referenced that the Mavericks chose to move on from what many NBA fans looked at as their “franchise player”, due to his conditioning issue and the commitment of giving Doncic a contract that would be north of $300 million.

We will now see Doncic step onto the court as teammates with future Hall of Famer and basketball icon Lebron James in his latter years of his NBA career. Two players who came into this year both ranked as top seven players in the league. Now, they will be playing together for the historic Lakers franchise as they search for their 18th NBA championship. 

It has been days since the trade and I am still shocked. While I think there is an obvious long term winner here, I think the Mavericks are receiving a little too much criticism. They are looking to win now and we may be underestimating the new duo in Dallas of Anthony Davis and NBA champion Point Guard Kyrie Irving. Their championship window may not last super long due to their new dynamic duo both being over the age of 30, but if Davis and Irving click, it could look dangerous for the Western Conference. 

As for the Lakers, they now have a top five talent in the NBA alongside what many fans claim to be the greatest player to pick up a basketball who still has a couple years left in the tank. These two will have a couple years to build chemistry and develop a team around them but I personally don’t see this as the year things click. They also have a new head coach this season in former NBA player JJ Reddick. Give the Lake show a little bit of time and maybe we see Lebron cement himself as the greatest player of all time with one more ring. 

With all that being said, I still feel like I am in a fairy tale with what has taken place. This trade was one that was so unexpected. In a day and age where we get word of what teams are interested in trading who, teams listing players they view as tradable and untouchable, the fact this came out of nowhere with no rumors about the trade has floored me. That’s not even to mention the level of talent that was traded. Making this, in my eyes, the most shocking trade in the history of the NBA. After this it feels like the NBA world has flipped on its head and only time will tell how the transactions will pan out.