The Luka Doncic trade was the type of breaking news that brought the entire sport of basketball to a halt. The memory of it got permanently etched into everyone's brain. You remember exactly where you were and what you were doing when something that improbable takes place.
An anonymous NBA player had the following message for The Athletic last year: "I was on the court. … A fan told me at half court. … It’s one of those moments you won’t forget. Like when Michael Jackson died (or) 9-11 happened. Those moments you just know is going to be forever ingrained.”
That response was a touch dramatic in its comparisons, but the overall point made in the anonymous survey conducted by The Athletic stands. It's hard to forget where you were, what you were doing, and the initial reaction you had to the news of the Doncic trade.
It didn't make sense. One year later, it still doesn't.
It felt like the Lakers turned water into wine by acquiring Luka Doncic
From a personal standpoint, it's actually very easy to recall the evening of the Doncic trade.
The entirety of Feb. 1, 2025 was spent helping a loved one move. It was a long, exhausting day that ended with being collapsed in a bed by the time it was dark outside. I dozed off in desperate need of rest.
I had briefly woken up later in the night. Checking the Twitter notifications and seeing that tweet from Shams Charania on my screen had me convinced I was still asleep. As such, I hit the deck once more, thinking that it was all indeed a dream.
Fast forward to waking up in the morning and realizing it wasn't. There was an immediate 'oh s***' and rush over to my computer screen. The Doncic trade was real, and it was BAD. Well, for the Dallas Mavericks, that is.
The overwhelming consensus was that Dallas giftwrapped a superstar to the Los Angeles Lakers for a fraction of his actual worth. A year later, even after the Mavericks fluked into nabbing Cooper Flagg, that assessment is still right on the money.
Dallas rushed to save face. They tried to sell the idea of Doncic being out of shape, unmotivated, and a few other supporting reasons that would justify the deal. It never worked.
The architect of the trade, Nico Harrison, has been fired. The Mavericks are flirting with the lottery yet again. The Lakers, flawed and all, are in a playoff spot with Doncic performing like an MVP candidate. Dallas has also not won a single head-to-head against Los Angeles since Luka swapped sides.
The Lakers are one offseason away from fully retooling around their superstar point guard and building a real contender. The Mavericks? It will take them a little more time to be fully relevant again.
There was a clear winner when the trade happened in 2025. It was the Lakers. Fast forward a year after the fact, absolutely nothing about that sentiment has changed. It just feels more ridiculous by the day that it was the Mavericks who initiated those trade talks.