ESPN Insider Explains How Luka-AD Trade Could Completely Shake-Up NBA Trade Deadline

The Doncic-Davis mega-trade will "undoubtedly have ripple effects" across the NBA, according to ESPN's Tim Bontemps.

Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic moves the ball against Los Angeles Lakers forward Davis and guard Christie during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The upcoming NBA trade deadline was quiet until the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers completed a mega-trade, superstar swap which saw Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis change teams. With one of the most stunning trades in recent memory now in the rearview mirror, the Feb. 6 trade deadline still lies ahead.

In full, the Mavericks sent Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to the Lakers for Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick. The Utah Jazz were also in the deal and received Jalen Hood-Schifino, a 2025 Clippers second-round pick (via the Lakers) and a 2025 Mavericks second-round pick.

ESPN's Tim Bontemps said that the deal will "undoubtedly have ripple effects" as other teams and executives pick their collective jaws off the floor after not expecting the Mavericks or Lakers to do much before Thursday's deadline.

"A move this unexpected is bound to shake things up," Bontemps wrote via ESPN. "It seems Dallas and Los Angeles both have further moves to make. The (Jimmy) Butler and (De'Aaron) Fox situations remain in flux. It seems like the league could easily go a record eighth straight season without seeing a team claiming back-to-back titles (the last was Golden State in 2018), and that vacuum at the top could create even more movement.

"A move of this magnitude has long-lasting aftershocks. We'll see how many of them ripple out across the league, and how much movement they cause this week."

Bontemps's reporting included a nugget from an anonymous team executive who joked, "in my conversations with Dallas this week, I was told they were looking for a backup center."

The Doncic-Davis trade will go down as a moment that altered the NBA for years to come. In the immediate future, the move could cause the rest of the league to rethink their trade deadline strategy, or find a deal with Dallas or Los Angeles as they try to retool around their new stars.

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