Last night, the NBA was in shock after the blockbuster trade that no one saw coming. According to Shams, the Los Angeles Lakers are trading Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 LAL first-round pick to the Dallas Mavericks for Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris. In addition, the Utah Jazz will be getting Jalen Hood-Schifino, a 2025 Clippers second-round pick, and a 2025 Mavericks second-round pick. This was a trade that put the NBA into a frenzy. Many people are wondering why the Mavericks traded a 25-year-old superstar away. Moreover, what does this mean for the Lakers moving forward? However, today, we are going to focus on what this trade means for the Thunder. The Mavericks might have just become a bigger threat to the Thunder.
Yes, this is real. Sources tell ESPN: Full trade:
– Lakers: Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, Markieff Morris
– Mavericks: Anthony Davis, Max Christie, 2029 LAL 1st
– Jazz: Jalen Hood-Schifino, 2025 Clippers 2nd, 2025 Mavericks 2nd https://t.co/bltojdTaQj
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 2, 2025
The Thunder are sitting at the number-one seed for the second year in a row with a record of 38-9. This whole season, they have seemed like the best team in the West and have separated themselves from everyone else. However, there are some threats to the Thunder out in the West, one of those teams was the Mavericks. With this trade that just went down, you are probably asking how this makes them more of a threat to the Thunder. Let’s examine those reasons and if this changes anything for the Thunder.
Did The Mavericks Just Become a Bigger Threat to the Thunder?
The Mavericks Have the Thunder’s Number
Even though the Thunder have looked like the team to beat this year, they have struggled against the Mavericks. In the last two seasons, including the playoffs, the Thunder are 3-7 against the Mavericks. Also, to put it into perspective, the Mavericks have beaten the Thunder three times this season, and all three were without Luka. It seems like the Mavericks have the Thunder’s number. The NBA playoffs are all about matchups because teams match up better with certain teams. The Thunder are one of those teams that don’t match up well with the Mavericks due to their size. Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II, and P.J. Washington have caused major problems for the Thunder in the frontcourt.
The Thunder have struggled the most with teams that are larger than them. This is why they went out and signed Isaiah Hartenstein to help out. However, the Thunder haven’t played a single game with both Chet Holmgren and Hartenstein, which could help their size difference against the Mavericks. The Thunder were also missing players as well, but this just shows you the Mavericks don’t need Luka to have success against the Thunder.
Anthony Davis Makes the Mavericks Even Bigger
Size is the biggest reason why the Thunder don’t match up well with the Mavericks. The Mavericks adding Anthony Davis makes that even worse for the Thunder to match up with them. Not only do they have a backcourt of Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson, which is still one of the better backcourts in the NBA. Now, the Mavericks added more size, with Davis adding him to Gafford, Lively, and Washington. In addition, Kyrie and Davis could be a better fit than Kyrie and Luka.
Even with the Thunder having Hartenstein and Chet playing together, they are going to struggle even more with the Mavericks’ size. The Mavericks have become an even bigger matchup nightmare to the Thunder. Right now, the Mavericks are the eighth seed, which would put them in the play-in tournament. It is growing more likely that if the Mavericks do make the playoffs, they will play the Thunder in the first round. This is a team the Thunder should want no part of in the first round.
Does This Change the Thunder’s Trade Deadline Approach?
Since the Lakers and Mavericks pulled off this blockbuster trade, many people are still shaking their heads about it. Does this change what the Thunder should do at the trade deadline? The answer to that is still the same: their best course of action is to stay pat at the deadline for two reasons. The first one is that the Thunder haven’t been fully healthy this year, so they haven’t gotten a chance to see what this team can do at full strength. The second reason is the Thunder got burned last year on a deadline trade and they may not want to go through something like that again.
The Last Word
Finally, this was a trade that no one saw coming and was a big shock to the rest of the NBA. If this is just the first trade before the trade deadline, we could be in for one of the better trade deadlines in NBA history. At this point, anything can happen, and any player can be traded. However, as it stands right now, the Mavericks, with this trade, have become a bigger threat to the Thunder in their hopes of making it to the Finals. Nonetheless, this trade doesn’t change the fact that the Thunder are still the favorites to win the West, as they are still the best team.
Photo credit: © Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
