Mavericks' Luka Dončić trade to Lakers only makes sense if you don't think too hard

It's a move that has left NBA fans and players as stunned and baffled as any in recent memory. A trade so far out of left field that the reporter breaking the story had to reassure everyone that he wasn't hacked.

When the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package consisting almost exclusively of 32-year-old Anthony Davis, no one knew what to think. Questions abounded. Why were the Mavericks doing this? Why did they only get Davis and a 2029 first-round pick back? And most importantly:

WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?

ESPN's Dave McMenamin gave Mavs GM Nico Harrison's explanation of the trade:

"I believe that defense wins championships," Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison told ESPN's Tim MacMahon, explaining his motivation to deal Doncic for Davis. "I believe that getting an All-Defensive center and an All-NBA player with a defensive mindset gives us a better chance. We're built to win now and in the future."

ESPN's Tim McMahon gave more insight into the thought process that went into the decision, noting the Mavericks had serious concerns about Luka's fitness issues ahead of his next contract, leading them to chase this trade.

There is a logic here, if you sort of squint. Dallas had serious concerns about Luka's fitness and ability to stay in shape, and in that situation, making the decision to trade away your 25-year-old superduperstar is certainly defensible. It's not hard to envision a future where Luka's fitness becomes a bigger and bigger issue as he ages, he misses more and more time, and his supermax contract starts to look like an albatross around the franchise's neck.

The problem is, the logic falls apart the more you learn about the deal. McMahon shared more about the process of dealing Dončić to Los Angeles on The Hoop Collective podcast:

"Harrison made the decision, supported by new Mavericks majority owner Patrick Dumont, to pursue Davis and pretty much no one else," McMahon said "The Mavericks did not make Dončić available to interested teams for the richest possible haul of draft picks. Sources say that the Mavericks are convinced that this move brings back a top-10 player in the league as well as a 2029 first-round pick from the Lakers."

This is where things make little to no sense, and the logic collapses in on itself like the profoundly damaged house of cards it is.

You're worried about Luka's fitness moving forward? Okay, great; that makes perfect sense, and is a valid concern. So, your answer to that is to only talk to one team about your generational talent, the brilliant supernova at the core of your roster who dragged it to the NBA Finals last season kicking and screaming through his singular brilliance in the postseason? And the return you get for that singularly brilliant 25-year-old is ANTHONY DAVIS?

Don't get me wrong; Davis is a fantastic player, positively sublime at moments in his career. He's having a stellar season, averaging 25.7 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. But if you're looking to stabilize the health of your franchise, I don't know that Davis is the guy you want.

Prior to last season, Davis had never played in 65 or more games in five seasons. He's cleared the 70-game mark just three times in his 13 seasons in the NBA, and is currently expected to be out for at least a week with an abdominal muscle strain.

On top of that, at the age of 32, Davis isn't exactly entering a stretch of his career where players are renowned for their ability to stay healthy.

So, to review: you, the GM of the Dallas Mavericks, decide it's time to trade the face of your franchise, one of the NBA's brightest stars, because you're worried he's a little chubby and won't work hard enough. And your plan to trade him is not to try and get the most assets possible, or the best package in return; no, it's to target a singular, injury-prone player who is seven years older than Doncic, because he plays hard on defense...and gets hurt a lot?

How does any of that make any sense to anyone? How is not shopping around even a little bit a valid and worthwhile strategy here? How do you only get one first-round pick back for the magical giant unicorn who scores at will and is one of the most dynamic passers in recent NBA history?

The issue is not that the Mavericks wanted to trade Luka; the logic is strange to be sure, but there is logic in the decision. The issue is that you take no bids, make no real inquiries into potential packages for him and do nothing to try and get the most out of the asset you're wanting to be done with. How is that good business sense, much less good basketball sense?

You've traded away a player who is just now entering his prime seasons in the league for essentially quarters on the dollar, obtained minimal long-term assets, and replaced him with a 32-year-old power forward who already has a reputation for being made out of balsa wood and old rubber bands. Does Davis make this team better in the short term? Maybe, but it's certainly not a sure thing, and the non-Kyrie Irving supporting cast in Dallas doesn't really inspire a ton of confidence.

Not to mention the fact that, from all accounts, Dončić wasn't involved in this process in any way. You've just given this player who you've essentially said is too fat to stay healthy over the short-to-medium-term all the ammunition he needs to motivate himself to do just that.

The Mavericks had better hope their gambit pays off, that the flawed logic of this decision turns out to be correct, and Luka's health and fitness deteriorate quickly in the next few seasons. They'd better pray Davis stays healthy in the next year or two, and that he jells perfectly with Irving, and they lead Dallas to a title.

Because if they're wrong, we could be looking at the single worst fleecing the NBA has ever seen, and it won't be particularly close.

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Mavericks' Luka Dončić - Anthony Davis trade with Lakers only makes sense if you don't think too hard

By Sam Westmoreland | 4:12 PM EST