Many basketball fans ran to their phones on February 2nd when they heard the hottest sports gossip of the week- a career-changing trade. But why? Sports trades are a fact of the game and happen extremely often, where teams exchange their players with another team. So what makes this one so different? This trade, between the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers, has been largely regarded as one of the biggest sports trades in history.
“And when I saw Luka got traded, I was so shocked like I woke up and checked my phone and thought I was still dreaming,” said Ethan Batts, senior.

The trade was between the Mavericks, called the Mavs by fans, and the Lakers. The trade was between The Mavs’ Luka Doncic, for the Lakers’ Anthony Davis. Doncic was widely regarded as one of the best basketball players currently playing in the NBA, so the trade for Davis -a lower-ranking and older player– was surprising to many.
“The trade really did not make sense. So I went back to sleep but when I woke up I was just so surprised,” said Batts
The way many trades with high-value players work is through a third party, in the Doncic-Davis trade, it was the Utah Jazz. The Jazz facilitated the deal, and in exchange got two draft picks and Jalen Hood-Schifino. One of the main reasons that these third parties get involved is to acquire draft picks for future years, especially if the team has had a struggling season.
“Cause there’s no logical reason for them to get rid of Luka. Except for monetary reasons, which is why I think it was done,” said Batts.
There have been talks about the Dallas team relocating to Las Vegas, especially since the Adelson family, who bought the team in late 2023, are casino magnates with massive holdings in Vegas. The family has been unsuccessfully lobbying the Texas Legislature to legalize sports gambling so that they can build a gambling resort.
“I do think in the future their plan is to move the team to Las Vegas. A lot bigger market for gambling, which is what the new owners seem to care about,” said Batts.
For now, the Mavs will stay where they are, but with talks of moving, on top of the jaw-dropping trade of their star player, many fans are starting to question the team’s ownership. Their 19-20 record without Doncic does not help either, a sharp juxtaposition of their 13-9 record they had had with him.
“And I’m hoping they have some success in the playoffs, I do hope the best for Klay and Kyrie and the people actually on the team but unfortunately they are all kinda washed,” said Batts.