Lakers' blockbuster trade for Luka Doncic was a tremendous mistake, ex-Mavericks coach says

On Feb. 2, the Los Angeles Lakers decided to shake up the NBA by trading Anthony Davis, their All-NBA big man, to the Dallas Mavericks for five-time All-Star guard Luka Doncic. 

Considering Los Angeles was struggling to remain afloat before the early February deal, the timing of the blockbuster trade couldn’t have been better. 

With Doncic, a Tier 1-2 superstar capable of leading a franchise to the NBA finals (2024 with the Mavericks), the Lakers performed like one of the best teams in the league during the second-half stretch of the regular season. 

While the organization earned the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, it failed to defeat Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round.

Still, acquiring Doncic four months ago helped Los Angeles form a stable plan for the post-LeBron James era. 

That said, there’s one individual who doesn’t agree with the historic deal Ex-Mavericks coach Don Nelson recently stated that from his perspective, the deal was a tremendous mistake.

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"Luka is my dear friend,” Nelson said on Sunday. “As a matter of fact I'm wearing Luka's shoes, his new shoes from Nike. Just got on the market. And I'm wearing them in protest of the trade from Dallas.”

"I think it was a tremendous mistake by the Dallas franchise to trade him. And I want everybody to know that. My philosophy was always, when you've got a great player, he's yours for a lifetime.”

"You don't get rid of great players. When that happened, I was pretty disappointed. My philosophy was to always honor the great players, not trade them away."

Nelson, who coached the Mavericks from 1997 to 2005, shares the same sentiments as every loyal Dallas supporter. Doncic was well on his way to becoming a Mavericks legend but fell short of that goal due to the organization’s concerns with his fitness and defense. 

Although the Slovenian phenom is dealing with the same issues in Los Angeles, the Lakers appeared committed to doing what the Mavericks refused to: helping him improve instead of kicking him to the curb. 

The organization posted a job posting for a Head Strength and Conditioning coach in May, which was viewed as disrespectful. However, it’s fair to say that Doncic will thank the Lakers once his body and defensive effort experience positive changes. 

Los Angeles should capitalize on the Mavericks’ error while Doncic is still in his prime.

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