On February 1, 2025, point guard Luka Dončić was traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers for forward Anthony Davis. This trade has shocked sports fans across the nation and was the first time in the NBA that 2 former All-NBA Team players have been traded in the middle of an active season.  

At only 25 years old, Dončić has already created a legacy for himself in the world of professional basketball.  After signing a contract with the Real Madrid basketball team located in Spain at the age of 13, Doncic pursued a professional career and left home to train for months at a time. At 19, he entered the NBA draft, and during the 2018-2019 season was the third overall pick from the Atlanta hawks. Immediately after being drafted, he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks and has been playing for them for the past 5 seasons.  

Since then, Dončić has led the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA finals, and in an article, ESPN even claimed that he is “arguably the best offensive player of the game.” To many sports fans, it appeared as if Dončić was going to remain with the Dallas Mavericks throughout his entire professional career, and that there would be no reason to trade him to another team. But on the morning of February 1st, fans woke up to shocking headlines throughout the sports industry claiming that he was traded for Anthony Davis.  

While Davis has been playing in the NBA for longer than Dončić, their skills are drastically different. On top of this, only being 25 years old, Dončić is much younger than 32-year-old Davis, who has also been prone to injuries in the years past. Thus, this trade has been called questionable and odd by many sports critics due to the differences in these athletes. 

Ultimately, this trade has been one for the century and brings to light the behind-the-scenes in the world of professional sports, emphasizing the risks and rewards that may be at stake when trades happen with athletes.