Lakers News: Shaq Compares Luka Doncic Trade to Red Sox Babe Ruth Curse

Ricardo Sandoval | 12 Hours Ago

Mar 16, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts against the Phoenix Suns in the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers acquired international superstar Luka Dončić in a massive trade in early February. It was a trade no one saw coming, as Dončić was slated to be a Dallas Maverick for life.

He was supposed to follow in the footsteps of Hall of Famer and long-time Maverick Dirk Nowitzki. However, that will no longer be the case with Dončić, as the front officer believed he was not the player to lead the Mavericks to a championship despite leading them to an NBA Finals appearance less than a year ago.

Since that trade, the Mavericks have had the worst of luck. Most of their significant players have suffered injuries, including Anthony Davis, who has been out for more than a month due to an adductor strain, and Kyrie Irving, who is out for the rest of the year and then some due to a torn ACL. On top of that, more than half of their roster is out due to injuries.

The Mavericks have had all sorts of misfortunes, which is why NBA legend and Lakers great  Shaquille O'Neal believes that they are cursed.

O'Neal said the Mavericks are cursed, similar to the Boston Red Sox when they traded Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees.

"I wasn't thinking about it but since you mentioned that, yeah. Yeah I do. They definitely gotta do better than the Lakers and they definitely gotta win before the Lakers."

Are the Dallas Mavericks cursed after trading away Luka Doncic 🧐 pic.twitter.com/f9LdgIYb1C

— The Big Podcast (@bigpodwithshaq) March 17, 2025

When the trade took place, many pointed to the Mavericks as the winners in the short term and the losers in the long term. More than a month later, the Lakers are winning the short term and will likely win the long term.

The Mavericks will likely slip out of the play-in tournament and fight for positioning in the upcoming NBA Draft. The Lakers, on the other hand, are in a good position to finish in the top six in the Western Conference and are poised to make a deep playoff run.

This might also be the worst the Lakers will be under Dončić. The Lakers will be ultra-aggressive in getting as much talent around Dončić as they view him as the face of the franchise.

The Lakers are revolving around Dončić, and rightfully so. He is only 26 years old and has yet to enter the prime of his career if he already isn't in it.

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