Luka Dončić was sent to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis in one of the most shocking trades in NBA history on Sunday. The trade made waves in the NBA world as two seemingly untouchable superstars were swapped without a word — until it was a done deal.
At 9:12 p.m. PST on February 1, ESPN NBA reporter Shams Charania posted the Dončić-Davis three-team deal on X, which shocked fans both around the world and students on the USC campus, which is just under two miles away from the home of the Lakers, the Crypto.com Arena.
The trade featured three teams: the Utah Jazz who received Jalen Hood-Schifino, the LA Clippers’ 2025 second-round pick and the Mavericks’ 2025 second-round selection; the Dallas Mavericks who received Davis, Max Christie and the Lakers’ 2029 first-round pick; and the Los Angeles Lakers who received Dončić, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris.
Like the rest of the NBA world, basketball fans at USC had a lot to say about the stunning trade.
Quincy Washington, a business major and an Atlanta Hawks fan, was very critical of the big trade, calling it “the stupidest trade in NBA history.”
Tony Bui, a business major and Golden State Warriors fan, also shared criticism about this trade and expressed empathy for Dallas Mavericks fans.
“I think there’s something going on — no way that went through. I can’t imagine being a Mavs fan right now” he said. “There’s definitely some funny business behind the scenes,”
When it came to deciding the winner of the trade, there most students thought that the Lakers got the better end of the deal.
Frank Fan, a USC student from China who is a Lakers fan, discussed his excitement for this deal in the future.
“For the future, it is definitely good for the Lakers. We got probably the best player in the league for the next 10-15 years,” he said. “Luka is a franchise player like Dirk [Nowitzki], right? They wouldn’t trade Dirk. We didn’t trade Kobe [Bryant]. But, I mean, they traded Luka for Anthony Davis. So I would definitely think if there has to be a winner, it has to be the Lakers.”
For Bui, he feels that this trade will result in immediate success for the Lakers.
“I feel like Luka was just the heart of the Mavs. So I’m not really excited for the Mavs right now, but the Lakers… They better win [the championship] this year,” he said.
While expectations are high for the Lakers with the arrival of Dončić, there were also some criticisms about how the trade may affect their roster and the Mavericks’ future without their star.
“Luka [Dončić] is probably one of the best players in the NBA, so obviously that’s a big loss.” Washington said. “I feel like an average NBA fan would say the Mavericks lost the trade. But if you really look at it grandscale, Luka doesn’t know how to play without the ball; LeBron knows how to play without the ball. Luka doesn’t play any defense. Anthony Davis can score and play good defense, and he’s a big and has Kyrie Irving and a lot of good role players.”
Fan was also critical of the team fit for this deal.
“I think the trade, for now, it’s definitely not a good choice,” he said. “Dončić [is] a great player, but also a ball handler, which LeBron James is. [And] we have Austin Reeves, so now we have three ball handlers on our team and no big man.”
While there have been some criticisms about this trade from both sides, this trade has also taken center stage for the NBA and has overshadowed other recent trades.
“I just feel like other trades you’ll look at are insignificant — we saw the De’Aaron Fox trade to the Spurs, and no one really cared,” said Washington. “I just feel like everyone will be talking about this trade for a while.”