Siegel's Scoop: How Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis deal blew up NBA trade deadline

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When that notification first came in saying that Luka Doncic was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, who else though it was fake? This is one of those scenarios where you see it and immediately discredit it because there’s no way something like this could ever happen, right? Well, Doncic is now a member of the Lakers and Davis is with the Dallas Mavericks, setting the stage for what has already been a whirlwind NBA trade deadline.

There has never been a trade made in the middle of the season quite like this one. Aside from the fact that Luka and AD being dealt for one another was the first of its kind in terms of two reigning All-NBA talents being moved in the same deal, his trade changed the landscape of the entire NBA as it relates to what the NBA trade deadline was supposed to be.

In simple terms, nobody around the league expected drastic changes. Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, and Jimmy Butler were the big names being mentioned in trade discussions, but that was about it.

Although all of the latest rumors centered around De’Aaron Fox and his situation with the Sacramento Kings, the overarching belief was that things would be figured out in the offseason with the San Antonio Spurs unwilling to part ways with Stephon Castle and other significant assets.

Once that Doncic and Davis trade was made, a move that sent shockwaves throughout the NBA, the floodgates opened and there was an end-of-the-world type of feel to how teams began panicking. Teams that weren’t expected to make drastic changes are suddenly talking, and there aren’t really any players who feel a sense of security after seeing Luka traded.

“It’s almost like all the rumors that were put out there over the last month or so have become irrelevant,” one Western Conference executive told ClutchPoints. “Forget everything you think you knew about this trade deadline because after these two trades, there are teams actually willing to throw the kitchen sink at others for the biggest names. Giannis Antetokounmpo won’t be traded, but you bet there are those calling about him right now. We know this has happened with LeBron James.”

The fallout of these trades centered around Doncic and Fox is what really changes the NBA trade deadline, specifically in the Western Conference.

Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Antonio, and Dallas are not done making trades yet, and the rest of the league is going to have to do everything they can to match the moves that have been made. This is just the start of what’s to come ahead of the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline, and there is a lot to discuss regarding what’s next for the Mavs and Lakers.

How Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis trade changed the league

Shocking. Mind-blowing. Crazy. Foolish. Intimidating.

These are all words shared by scouts, agents, and executives alike when Luka Doncic was traded for Anthony Davis late Saturday night. This isn’t your ordinary trade deadline deal, as Doncic and Davis were both essential parts of the Mavs and Lakers, respectively.

So, what went wrong or right here for both organizations?

From the Lakers’ perspective, everything circles back to when they were eliminated in five games by the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs last season. While LeBron James and Davis were preparing for the 2024 Olympics, the Lakers were attempting to figure out ways to improve their roser around their two superstars.

James has long voiced his support for Los Angeles making the necessary moves to put themselves in a position to win another championship, but Davis’ tone had shifted, league sources told ClutchPoints. Whereas James was always supportive of moves being made, Davis’ pleas for help started to be taken more as demands by front office personnel and the organization.

Although relationships were not fractured by any means, tensions began to grow leading up to the trade deadline with Davis’ constant requests to add more talent, specifically at the center position.

This led to the All-Star’s sit-down interview with Shams Charania of ESPN, a moment that caused a rift to form between Davis and members of the Lakers’ front office, sources said. In short, some within the organization took this as a slap in the face to the work they’ve done through the years. These internal frustrations based on Davis’ comments were also confirmed by Sam Amick of The Athletic.

While the Lakers were not actively looking to trade Davis by any means, they certainly had reason to hear out Nico Harrison and the Mavericks.

Nobody around the league could have guessed that the Mavericks would offer Doncic for Davis, yet that is exactly what happened in a phone call between Harrison and Lakers executive Rob Pelinka. That initial call led to a series of conversations and face-to-face meetings that were kept completely secret in order to maintain the confidentiality of the trade brewing.

Ultimately, a deal was reached, and now the future of the Lakers is secure with Doncic set to receive the torch from LeBron, who will likely be retiring after the 2025-26 season, multiple league sources said. The 2025-26 season has long been speculated as James’ final in the NBA, as it will mark his 23rd year in the NBA, his iconic number for so many years.

With Davis out and Doncic in, the focus in Los Angeles now shifts to making more moves to bolster their roster ahead of the trade deadline. James isn’t going anywhere, and this organization is now pursuing several options on the trade market to add frontcourt help, sources said. Myles Turner, Walker Kessler, and Nic Claxton are the three main names being linked to Los Angeles, and Mitchell Robinson has also come up in conversations as of late.

The Lakers have held multiple conversations with the Utah Jazz about Kessler’s availability, sources said, but have been unable to meet Utah’s asking price in such trade discussions. Not much luck has been found with pursuing Turner either, as the Indiana Pacers continue to figure out their best path forward financially since the big man will be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.

Once labeled as a top trade target for the Lakers, Nikola Vucevic no longer appears to be at the top of Los Angeles’ wish list before Thursday. As ClutchPoints’ Lakers insider Anthony Irwin recently reported, Jakob Poeltl and Robert Williams III are other names to monitor.

It is important to note that the Davis-Doncic trade has become official, meaning that Maxi Kleber’s $11 million salary can’t be aggregated with others ahead of the trade deadline. Along with possibly flipping Kleber, Rui Hachimura is a player the Lakers would move for a significant frontcourt upgrade, sources said. The Lakers remain aggressive on the trade market and will be making at least one more move before Thursday’s trade deadline.

Smaller deals are also on the table depending on what happens around the league. Los Angeles is said to be paying attention to what the Golden State Warriors have planned, especially if they give up notable secondary players like Kevon Looney and Gary Payton II, sources said. The Lakers would have interest in both players if traded.

As for the Mavericks, their entire future has been altered. Doncic is a one-of-a-kind player and he was the face of Dallas professional sports, which is saying something since the Dallas Cowboys are supposed to be “America’s Team.” At 25 years old, Luka had set the course for the Mavs to be championship contenders over the next decade, yet internal frustrations with him resulted in Harrison and Dallas’ front office pulling off the most unexpected trade of all time.

This simply came down to the Mavericks wanting to get rid of Doncic. There have been reports of his weight and conditioning being an issue for the franchise, and as Marc Stein put it, the Mavs were simply “over him.”

Even so, this trade has not sat well with many around the league from the Mavericks’ perspective.

“The Mavs are out of their minds,” a longtime agent told ClutchPoints. “As good as (Anthony) Davis is, you can’t give up Luka Doncic for him. You just can’t do that.

“Even if the Mavs win it all this year, they’ve still sacrificed their entire future. Maybe this trade makes sense if you got Giannis Antetokounmpo, but this is one of the biggest risks in NBA history by trading Luka for AD.”

Financially, the Mavericks have their backs up against the wall due to the fact that they are hard-capped at the first apron. What else can this team really do to improve their championship outlook?

In the immediate aftermath of trading for Davis, many around the league began to wonder if Dallas was going to enter the Jimmy Butler sweepstakes given the Miami Heat star having interest in joining the Mavs. This doesn’t appear to be a likely scenario at this time, sources said, as many have downplayed the Mavericks’ interest in trading for Butler.

Instead, the Mavericks are said to be interested adding another scoring weapon alongside Irving in the backcourt. As always, Dallas will still be eyeing versatile perimeter options on the wing as well that can provide a sense of toughness on defense. This has been the point of emphasis from the front office and Harrison — wanting tough-minded defenders.

The Doncic-Davis trade is still something many around the NBA are still attempting to figure out. It is also a trade that escalated the move that the San Antonio Spurs made to acquire De’Aaron Fox in a three-team trade with the Sacramento Kings and Chicago Bulls that also sent Zach LaVine to the Kings.

Both of these massive trades have shifted many teams’ plans for the NBA trade deadline, especially those of the Warriors.

Warriors scrambling for answers before trade deadline

No team has been involved in more trade conversations leading up to this season’s trade deadline than the Warriors. At the same time, no team has faced more challenges in making a trade than this organization.

Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the Warriors’ front office have been aggressive in trade talks dating back to the summer when they attempted to land not only Paul George from the LA Clippers, but Lauri Markkanen from the Utah Jazz as well. Chris Paul’s expiring contract was a massive trade asset the Dubs could’ve utilized to make a massive swing, yet nothing happened and Paul left for the Spurs in free agency.

There was an offer at the time from the Chicago Bulls that would’ve sent Zach LaVine to Golden State, but the team didn’t feel it was the right time to part ways with Andrew Wiggins.

As the 2024-25 season has progressed, it has become even more clear that Stephen Curry needs a second star next to him, much like how virtually every top team in the Western Conference has a lineup headlined by two stars.

Curry has been visually frustrated at times with the way the season has gone, which has created even more urgency to make a trade. Even Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has claimed that this team isn’t good enough right now for them to not do anything at the trade deadline.

“We're not in a position where we can say, 'Nah, we're good. Let's stand pat,'” Kerr said after the team’s recent 130-105 loss to the Phoenix Suns, via Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “That's the reality of where we are.”

While the Warriors have been very active in trade talks with multiple teams, the problem is they are running out of time to make a significant change to save their season. More importantly, that move may no longer exist.

Before the Lakers and Mavericks came together to shatter the NBA with their league-altering trade, the Warriors held extensive trade conversations with the Bulls centered around LaVine and Vucevic, multiple sources confirmed to ClutchPoints. Although Vucevic was the early favorite to be traded to Golden State, the focus had shifted to LaVine, who would instantly become the team’s No. 2 scoring option next to Curry.

The Bulls and Warriors discussed multiple scenarios between Wednesday and Saturday, sources said, with one scenario being both LaVine and Vucevic going to Golden State. Marc Stein first reported on the deal that would’ve sent both All-Star players to the Warriors.

As part of this trade, Wiggins, Payton, Looney, and other assets would’ve been traded to the Bulls and another team that would have needed to be involved for cap reasons. League sources confirmed that neither Jonathan Kuminga nor Moses Moody were included in these trade discussions for LaVine and Vucevic.

The important note is that the Warriors were wanting Dennis Schroder, whom they acquired earlier this season, to be included in these discussions as an outgoing $13 million expiring salary. Schroder is unable to be traded with other players until his restriction lifts on Feb. 5, the day before the trade deadline.

Chicago, knowing that the Kings held interest in LaVine in a potential massive Fox trade, didn’t want to wait in order to complete other deals from inquiring teams. Ultimately, trade talks between the Bulls and Warriors fell through, resulting in Chicago pulling the trigger on a trade that sent LaVine to the Kings.

Jimmy Butler suddenly became the focus of the trade deadline for the Warriors despite many in the organization still cautioning such a move. Some within the organization have wanted to pursue Butler since November when trade talks between him and the Heat first came to light, but the majority of leadership has opposed such a move because making such a trade would have a negative impact on the immediate future outside of potentially freeing up cap space.

Still, the Warriors engaged in trade talks with the Heat over the last week about what they’d be willing to accept for Butler, sources said. Miami was welcoming to these conversations from Golden State, especially with Wiggins needing to be included in dialogue. The Heat already had a third team interested in facilitating a deal with the Warriors, which was the Toronto Raptors.

However, talks fell apart with Butler getting word of a potential trade to the Warriors, as he was not willing to sign an extension with the team, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN. One of Butler’s main goals in being traded to a new team is to ink long-term security, which is why the Phoenix Suns are still his top choice.

On top of all the talk surrounding LaVine and Butler, the Warriors continued their search for massive moves on the trade market last week, even going as far to calling the Phoenix Suns about Kevin Durant. Multiple sources briefed on the matter told ClutchPoints that the Dubs were serious about their intentions of trading for Durant, which was quickly turned down by the Suns.

This however did not stop owner Joe Lacob and the Warriors from dreaming big, as they even contacted the Lakers about LeBron James. When Doncic was traded to Los Angeles, the focus of the league quickly shifted to James and what his immediate future looked like. Many began to speculate that LeBron-Golden State talks were growing, although there were no real trade conversations between the Warriors and Lakers, sources said.

These discussions of James going to the Dubs have quickly vanished, as all indications point in the direction of the legend holding onto his no-trade clause and remaining in Los Angeles, for now.

Where does this leave the Warriors?

Vucevic remains an option, but the Warriors don’t necessarily believe adding the veteran center drastically changes their outlook this season. Plus, the Bulls have been adamant on wanting draft compensation from the Golden State, which was one of the holdups when negotiating a trade involving Vucevic and LaVine.

Outside of role players like Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, and John Collins being players the Warriors have held interest in dating back to the offseason, the next best wave of players on the trade block this season include Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, and Cam Johnson. It is unknown at this time if Golden State will seriously consider pursuing any of these three bigger names.

Unless the Dubs pursue Ingram, which has been a scenario this front office has discussed, league sources have indicated that Golden State will be making minor moves to potentially move out of the tax.

These are trying times for the Warriors, who have until Thursday afternoon to try and save their season.

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