Josel Sapitan, Gabriel Pascual, Ernesto Nodado III, and Ian Paolo Villacencio

In a shocking blockbuster trade on February 2, the West Conference squads rearranged their loadout as the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, and Utah Jazz made a historical three-team deal that surprised the world.


A controversial decision was made by Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison to trade Dallas face card Luka Doncic to Lakers star Anthony Davis, including Max Christie and LA's 2029 first-round pick.

"I believe that defense wins championships," said Harrison with confidence in answering the questions of the fans about the big revelation released last Sunday.

Meanwhile, aside from Doncic, the Los Angeles vice president, Rob Pelinka, acquires Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris.

"Luka is a one-of-a-kind, young global superstar who will lead this franchise for years to come," he responded as he thought about the future of the team.

The Jazz also prepared their arsenal as they received Jalen Hood-Schifino, the LA Clippers' 2025 second-round pick, and the Mavericks' 2025 second-round selection.

Move for the present, decision for the future 

When a team offers you Luka Doncic—the man who just led his team to the NBA Finals, a perennial MVP candidate, and a proven franchise player—in exchange for your oft-injured second star, nine times out of 10, you take that deal. On paper, the Lakers appear to be the clear winners of this trade, but at what cost? 

With LeBron James’ retirement looming, the historic squad has found their next franchise cornerstone, the guy poised to take the reins when James eventually calls it a career. This move secures the Lakeshow’s future with a 25-year-old MVP-caliber star while also maximizing their current roster. 

With the reigning Western Conference Finals MVP now in the mix, LA’s offense looks more formidable than ever. Not only can relieve James of playmaking duties, but his offensive versatility also creates endless scoring opportunities for the rest of the team. But while Luka Magic enhances their offense, his defensive liabilities create new concerns.

The LakeShow also lost Max Christie, a young and developing 3-and-D wing, thinning their already weak perimeter defense. Even after swapping D’Angelo Russell for Dorian Finney-Smith’s defensive prowess, they still needed a defensive big to complement Anthony Davis.

Instead, they traded away their defensive anchor in AD without securing a replacement even close to his caliber. This leaves them vulnerable against frontcourt-heavy teams like the Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets, worsening a problem they were already trying to fix.

For six years, Davis was seen as untouchable, the bridge to a post-LeBron future. Even new head coach JJ Redick emphasized building the offense around him, reinforcing expectations that LA would center its long-term plans on The Brow.

Yet, despite all signs pointing to Davis as the future, reports confirmed that neither he nor LeBron knew this trade was coming. Moving AD in this fashion isn’t just a tactical shift; it’s a betrayal of trust that disrupts team chemistry and everything they’ve built up to this point.

Dallas’ big gamble

Risking the future is nothing new for the Dallas Mavericks. 

Stunning the basketball world at random, it traded its franchise cornerstone for the injury-prone Lakers superstar—a gamble that ties their fate to a big man who, while anchoring inside, comes with durability concerns. Paired with Kyrie Irving’s ball control and Klay Thompson’s go-to shooting, Davis could elevate the Mavericks, but his history remains a major question mark.

This is not the first time Dallas has rolled the dice. In the 2018 NBA draft, they traded their third overall pick Atlanta Hawks’ Luka Doncic for their fifth overall pick Trae Young on draft day. From there on, the die rolled completely in the Mavericks’ favor as their gamble later on turned out to be a star in the making. Doncic’s stardom turned the franchise's lackluster season finishes into being one of the elite playoff contenders in the Wild West, where superstars seemed to brawl it all out like in a cage fight. 

But his injury since Christmas day left Dallas vulnerable in the West, slipping to eighth place despite a solid 26-23 record. Though no official reason was given for the trade, his injury status may have sealed his fate. 

For what’s worth, the Mavericks have turned the page on the Luka Magic era, venturing into uncharted waters with their latest high-stakes bet. 

Jazz stockpiling assets

Utah might not seem a big winner in this blockbuster deal, but they have managed to get some assets in return. 

The Jazz acquired Jalen Hood-Schifino from the Lakers, along with two second-round picks—the Mavs’ 2025 second-round pick and another from the Clippers—in exchange for just reportedly $110,000 in cash considerations.

Hood-Schifino, the 17th overall pick in the 2023 draft, has had a lackluster start to his career, with career averages of 1.7 points, 0.6 rebs, 0.4 ast in just 5.3 minutes per game. With his $3.8 million contract set to expire this offseason, Utah can either use him as a trade asset or develop him into a rotation player alongside their young core of Lauri Markannen, Walker Kessler, Keyonte George and Colin Sexton. 

Jazz executive Danny Ainge has been steadily accumulating assets since trading Donovan Mitchell to Cleveland and Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves, reinforcing his strategy of long-term flexibility. 

From the Salt Lake City team's point of view, an intriguing angle is their ownership of the Lakers’ top-4 protected 2027 first-round pick. By then, it remains to be seen whether Luka Doncic will still be running alongside Lebron James, but the Jazz would certainly prefer otherwise. 

Earlier in the day, Utah also traded bigman Drew Eubanks and veteran sniper Patty Mills to the Clippers for PJ Tucker, Mo Bamba, a future second-round pick and cash considerations. This move further bolsters their ability to maneuver ahead of that trade deadline. 

Overall, it was a busy day in Utah's front office, one that could set the stage for even bigger moves in the near future. 

Witnessing a trade of this magnitude happens once in a blue moon. With the plain nature of a franchise star like Luka Doncic being dealt in the middle of his prime years right after a finals appearance, makes it a sight that was only thought of as possible in video games.

It’s league shaking moments like this that define the course of NBA history, and determining who was the right side of it in this particular deal is certainly too early to tell.