A little over a year later, people are still talking about the shocking trade that sent Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers, who shipped Anthony Davis and a 2029 first-round pick to the Dallas Mavericks in return.
Just over a year later, the Mavericks parted with the centerpiece of their return for Luka, trading Davis, Jaden Hardy, D’Angelo Russell and Dante Exum to the Washington Wizards for Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, two future first-round picks and three second-rounders.
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So, in total, this is what the Mavericks received for Dončić (and Maxi Kleber, Markieff Morris, Hardy, Russell and Exum):
2026 Thunder first-round pick
2029 Lakers first-round pick
2030 Warriors protected first-round pick
2026 Suns second-round pick
2027 Bulls second-round pick
2029 Rockets second-round pick
Max Christie
Khris Middleton
AJ Johnson
Malaki Branham
Marvin Bagley III
It’s also worth mentioning that after trading Dončić, the Mavericks missed the playoffs and ended up winning the lottery for the NBA Draft, where they took No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg. That, however, was not the intention of Dallas’ former general manager, Nico Harrison, when he made the trade.
To compare the Mavericks’ return for Dončić with other trades in recent years, the San Antonio Spurs received three first-round picks and a first-round pick swap (in addition to Danilo Gallinari) from the Atlanta Hawks for Dejounte Murray. The Utah Jazz received four first-rounders, a pick swap and a handful of players (most notably Walker Kessler) from the Minnesota Timberwolves in return for Rudy Gobert.
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Davis’ short stay in Dallas ended after he appeared in just 29 games. His latest setback occurred after he injured his hand on Jan. 8 against the Utah Jazz. Although hand surgery is not required, as initially reported, Davis has still missed extended time with the injury. Davis was put on the trade block shortly after the injury.
Despite Davis’ injury history, he remained effective when he was on the court. This season, he averaged 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks on 50.6% from the field. The 32-year-old will now pair his skills with point guard Trae Young, whom the Wizards also acquired ahead of the deadline.
Young has yet to make his debut as a Wizard and is expected to be out through the All-Star break because of a right knee sprain and a bruised quadriceps. The 13-36 Wizards have missed the playoffs the past four seasons.
While Davis is on his second team since the trade, Dončić is flourishing with the Lakers. He averages an NBA-leading 33.4 points and is second in assists with 8.7, while adding 7.9 rebounds per game. The Lakers are 30-19 this season.
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