The Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks traded with each other for the first time since the infamous deal involving Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis. The trade still haunts many Mavericks supporters and anti-Lakers fans and is widely considered a lopsided transaction.
Many felt the Lakers were fortunate to come away with Doncic for the price they paid with just one first-round pick, an aging and injury-prone star in Davis and a rising 3-and-D player in Max Christie. It was unlikely that the two teams would engage in a trade for the foreseeable future, but that changed on Wednesday after Los Angeles dealt the 56th pick to Dallas.
“The Lakers and Mavericks have made a trade — L.A. sends No. 56 Vsevolod Ishchenko to Dallas,” ESPN”s Shams Charania reported.
Technically, it was the second time the franchises were involved in a trade in two days. On Tuesday, on day one of the NBA draft, they were engaged in a four-team deal with the New York Knicks and the Phoenix Suns.
In that move, Cameron Carr went to the Lakers at No. 24 (previously owned by the Knicks), the Mavericks landed Sergio de Larrea with the 25th pick (previously owned by the Lakers), the Suns got Koat Peat at No. 30 (previously owned by the Mavericks) and the Knicks got five second-round picks.
On Wednesday, it was a more direct trade between the Lakers and Mavericks, similar to the Doncic deal. After Charania tweeted about it, NBA fans dished out hilarious reactions. Here are some of the top comments:
Lakers, Mavericks have the chance to be valuable trade partners if they can move on from the Luka Doncic deal
The Lakers and Mavericks can realistically be one of the best trade partners this season. Assuming the Mavericks want to invest in rebuilding and getting even younger, Los Angeles can take a few of their players while shipping their prospects and future picks. Two targets that the Lakers might benefit from are Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington.
They were key members of the 2024 Mavericks’ finals run, with whom Luka Doncic meshed pretty well. Gafford is one of the best lob threats and rim protectors, who may even land a starting job in Los Angeles. As for Washington, he can be the LeBron James replacement in the frontcourt if the superstar leaves in free agency or retires this offseason.
In return, the Lakers can offer Cameron Carr, who they selected with the 24th pick and their 2025 second-round pick, Adou Thiero. Dalton Knecht, Jarred Vanderbilt, Deandre Ayton and Jake LaRavia’s expiring contracts can be used to match salaries.
The Mavericks can clear significant money off their books if they engage with the Lakers. However, it remains to be seen if they want to continue competing for the playoffs, as that would determine Washington and Gafford’s future.
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