![NBA blockbusters steal Super Bowl week headlines [poll]](http://townsquare.media/site/591/files/2025/02/attachment-GettyImages-2194468739.jpg?w=980&q=75)
NBA blockbusters steal Super Bowl week headlines [poll]
The sports world was rocked as many awoke Sunday morning to the news that the Dallas Mavericks had dealt Luka Doncic to the L.A. Lakers for Anthony Davis.
The push notification from Shams Charania came through at 12:23 a.m. on Sunday. Yes, I was still awake, and when I looked to see why my phone buzzed I thought for sure Shams had been hacked.
Just like that, the balance of power in the Western Conference shifted as the reigning conference champions dealt their 25-year-old star, who is off to a historic start to his NBA career, in the middle of the night with no previous tells or warnings that Doncic was available in trade discussions.
What in the world is Dallas thinking? How in the world did Rob Pelinka and the Lakers get away with it? Those were among the more popular reactions to be found on social media Sunday morning.
According to ESPN's Tim MacMahon, "The Mavs had concerns about moving forward with Doncic due to his constant conditioning issues and the looming commitment of another supermax contract extension this summer."
You're worried about Luka's conditioning so you trade him for a guy who is a month away from turning 32 and played just 36, 40, and 56 games from 2021-23, respectively? Yeah, miss me with that. It seems the second half of the description is the real motivation, the fact that Luka was going to be eligible for a 5-year, $345 million extension with Dallas, and the new owners in Big D didn't seem to eager to pay it.
The best comp I've seen of the trade was from NFL Insider Jordan Schultz, who said one GM told him, "Imagine the Bengals shipping off Ja'Marr Chase to the Buccaneers for Mike Evans and a second-round pick," that's what just happened.
Is it the most head-scratching sports transaction in recent years?
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