Max Kellerman’s latest take on Luka Doncic might be his boldest and most off-base yet. On the Game Over with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul podcast, he suggested the Dallas Mavericks only got the trade right if Anthony Davis somehow stays healthy and plays 60–65 games next season.
Davis’ injury history speaks volumes
Kellerman added that Dallas would need to win a championship for it to make sense. The problem? That scenario is practically impossible. Davis has struggled with injuries for nearly a decade. Since the 2017–18 season, he has only twice played more than 60 games.
In Dallas, he has appeared in just 29 games since being traded for Doncic. Even when he has been on the floor, the results have been underwhelming. In the 20 games he played this season, Davis has averaged just 20.4 points, his second-worst mark of his career, behind only his rookie season.
Davis has looked far from the player the Los Angeles Lakers once relied on as a superstar. Recent reports also indicate he will miss months recovering from ligament surgery in his left hand. Counting on him to suddenly stay healthy and play at peak level for an entire season is wishful thinking.
Meanwhile, Luka Doncic has delivered far more for Los Angeles. Through 30 games this season, he has averaged 33.6 points, 8 rebounds, and 8.7 assists while leading the NBA in scoring. He consistently carries a team night after night, and the Mavericks, with Davis available for 20 games, are just 10–10. That is a stark contrast that highlights the trade’s impact.
Even if neither team wins a championship, the Lakers come out ahead. They acquired a young, generational talent. They now have a player they can pair with LeBron James while he is still in the league and who will remain the face of the franchise long after LeBron retires. Doncic gives Los Angeles a cornerstone for the next decade, a superstar around whom the team can continue to build.
It is clear that the Lakers did not gamble on this trade; they won it. Any argument hinging on an “if AD stays healthy” scenario is fantasy. Doncic is thriving, putting the Lakers in immediate contention, and proving night after night that Los Angeles made one of the smartest, most shocking moves in recent NBA history.
Kellerman this season has had his fair share of negative remarks this season surrounding Doncic. Although it is true that he is entitled to his opinion, it is obvious that the court tells a very different story.