The Dallas Mavericks just can’t catch a break after they traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.
NBA trade season continued well into Wednesday night, with the Los Angeles Lakers making their third trade of the year. After adding Dorian Finney-Smith, Luka Doncic, and additional role players, the Lakers brokered a deal with the Charlotte Hornets, landing Mark Williams as their presumed starting center.
Williams is having a solid season, averaging 15.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks. The Lakers traded promising rookie Dalton Knecht, a 2031 draft pick, and a 2030 pick swap for Williams.
Over the weekend, they traded Max Christie, Anthony Davis, and a 2029 draft pick for Doncic, who is a much better player than Williams.
The Dallas Mavericks added a single draft pick for Doncic, as well as an aging star in Davis. After the trade news broke on Saturday, reports suggesting the Mavericks could have demanded a bigger return were quick to surface.
As the dust settles on the two recent Lakers’ trades, one fact can’t be ignored: Los Angeles gave up more draft capital for Williams than they did for Doncic, who has made five All-NBA First Teams in his career.
In what was already a laughable move by Mavs’ general manager Nico Harrison, fans now have another trade to make a direct comparison.
Dallas, who walked away with a single pick, is in a less favorable spot than the Hornets long-term, who gave up a good player, but not an already legendary face of the franchise.
Had the Mavericks shopped Doncic on the open market or demanded a fair return for the Slovenian superstar, the Lakers likely wouldn’t have had the assets to complete the deal with the Hornets.
Harrison is a longtime friend and colleague of Lakers’ GM Rob Pelinka, and while this helped build the trust to keep the trad secret, it came at a cost of getting the best price for the Slovenian, and the trade has been compared to malpractice by fans.
By swindling the Mavericks out of their best player and adding a franchise centerpiece for the next several years, the Lakers saved enough assets to land a much-needed center to slot into the starting lineup with their two superstars.
While fans would be correct in their analysis that the Lakers did in fact overpay for Williams, who is not worth two picks and a Rookie of the Year Candidate, it’s hard to argue that the Lakers didn’t come out ahead in the two deals.
The Lakers traded their franchise center and three picks for a future Hall-of-Famer who hasn’t hit his peak yet and a young and promising big man to form a one-two punch with their new rotation.
With Williams in town, it’s hard to point out a weakness with any of the Lakers’ positions, so saving their assets in the Doncic trade turned out to be even a bigger win than fans may have thought when the first details were released.
