Every year at the NBA trade deadline there’s a conversation about whether the action is going to meet the hype of all the rumors or whether the drama will fall flat with nothing substantial happening.
Suffice to say, the 2025 deadline has not underdelivered on drama and we still have four days to go. Somehow, in less than a 24-hour span between late Saturday night and Sunday evening, two massive trades have gone down and they qualify as two of the saddest exchanges we’ve ever seen after factoring in the full recent context of the franchises involved who shipped out star guards.
First, Luka Doncic was sent to the Lakers on Saturday night in what was probably the most shocking trade in NBA history, no exaggeration. And then that was followed on Sunday with De’Aaron Fox landing with the San Antonio Spurs in a multi-team deal that also sent Zach LaVine and three first-round picks to the Kings.
The latter deal wasn’t as shocking. We knew Fox was likely to be dealt and that San Antonio was the Fox’s preferred destination, but now that it has officially happened it’s impossible not to consider the context of the Kings letting Tyrese Haliburton go because they had Fox, only to then lose him, too.
All while they also could’ve had … wait for it … Luka Doncic.
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Have you forgotten that the Kings had the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 draft and that Doncic was indeed available when they instead decided to select Marvin Bagley III? If so, I’m sorry to have reminded Kings fans of this debacle of a decision, but I just can’t help but reflect on the synergistic sadness of these last 24 hours.
The Mavericks stumble into Luka because the Hawks are dumb enough to trade him on draft night, then they let Jalen Brunson walk because they didn’t know how good he was and because he felt something like positional overkill next to Doncic, only to then lose Doncic, too!
And for what? Anthony Davis, Max Christie and ONE future first-round pick? How in the world does Fox bring back a win-now player in LaVine PLUS three future first-rounders when Luka, a top-three player who also has yet to turn 26, somehow only lured one first-round pick from the Lakers?
What, were the Lakers going to say no if Nico Harrison demanded that a second first-round pick get thrown into the deal? Or Dalton Knecht? How in the world do you have Luka Doncic as a bargaining chip and walk away from the table on the wrong end of a robbery?
Full discretion, I have made the point that I believe the Mavericks are actually better positioned to win a title this season and perhaps next with Davis instead of Doncic. Reasonable minds can disagree on that stance, and it obviously hinges on a 32-year-old, injury-prone Davis enjoying full postseason health, which is clearly a big IF.
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But that potential short-term upside, which, again, is extremely debatable, does not come close to justifying Dallas’ decision to willingly forfeit potentially the next decade plus of a generational talent the likes of which the franchise will likely never see again. Luka is one of one. That’s why I gave Dallas an “F” for the trade, even if they were getting the sense that keeping Luka long-term was going to be a headache.
There are a handful of players who are worth the potential pain of watching them leave or having to endure a messy trade demand like the Heat are going through with Jimmy Butler. Luka is one of them. Fox isn’t. It makes more sense on the surface, then, for the Kings to part with Fox, but the return isn’t exactly as great as it sounds.
Those three first-round picks are misleading. The 2025 Charlotte pick is lottery protected and a virtual lock to convey instead as two second-rounders. The 2027 pick from the Spurs figures to be in the 20s with the Victor Wembanyama-Fox duo primed to take San Antonio at least into the second round of the playoffs by then. LaVine has enjoyed a bounce-back season but he’s nowhere near as good as Davis and has proven to be equally injury-prone.
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It was a tough weekend to be a fan of one of these two teams, even if you think the Kings might still be pretty good with LaVine, as the Mavs surely will be with Davis.
I repeat, for the Kings to have effectively had their hands on Doncic, Haliburton and Fox and lose their grip on them all them is devastating. For the Mavericks, to lose Brunson first and then Doncic next, it’s even worse. It’s unthinkable, really, but here we are.
And it has set up the Lakers and Spurs, two traditional Western Conference powers, to enjoy their next era as perennial contenders as the Kings and Mavericks, while perhaps in OK shape for the time being, become primed to slip out of relevancy just as they quickly as they entered that space.
