Grading ESPN’s hypothetical 76ers-Mavericks Luka Doncic trade

It is becoming clearer by the day that George’s best days are long past, and that was evident even before the NBA trade deadline. The injury bug has too firm of a grasp on him, and excluding the 74 games that he played in last season, he hasn’t had a healthy season since 2018-19. However, the 76ers are glued to him for three more years at over $52 million per season.

Getting off of that contract alone would be worthwhile for the 76ers, not to mention the fact that they’d get Doncic – one of the best players in the NBA – in this trade. The Slovenian star, who is already one of the best point guards ever, is averaging 27.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 7.8 assists per game this season.

Losing Jared McCain would hurt some. He was well on his way to winning the Rookie of the Year award before suffering a season-ending injury. That injury had already happened by the time that Doncic was traded, though.

The future of the 76ers in unclear. Embiid is the team’s best player, but he hasn’t shown an ability to stay healthy. He’d certainly form an excellent duo with Doncic had they been paired up, but it could have even made sense to trade Embiid and build around Doncic and Maxey. Either way, this is a bargain trade for the 76ers and one they’d deserve an A grade for had it become reality.

Grade: A

Mavericks add a different injury-prone star other than Anthony Davis

The biggest reason the Doncic trade has looked like a dud for the Mavericks so far is because Davis has only played in seven games because of injuries. Injury red flags were well-known with Davis long before Dallas traded for him, though, so perhaps they would have been willing to take on another often-injured star in George.

Like Davis, George is a great defensive player. Davis thrives protecting the painted area, but George is more of a point-of-attack defender who can lock up star wings on the perimeter. There is a case to be made that the Mavericks needed that even more than rim protection, considering Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II are also on the roster. Their presence gives the Mavericks somewhat of a logjam at the center position. Although Davis wants to play power forward, the modern game forces him into more of a center role.

George is also a silky-smooth offensive player. He can hit shots from every spot in the halfcourt. The big additions in this trade, though, are McCain and the four first-round picks the Mavericks would have added. Based off of what he did to start the season, the sky is the limit for McCain. The rookie was averaging 15.3 points per game and displaying elite 3-point shooting before he got hurt.

Four first-round picks is more in tune with the average superstar trade of the modern day, too. Even so, this isn’t a trade that would have made a lot of sense for Dallas. Swapping out Davis for George doesn’t solve any of the problems that have come up since Doncic was traded from the team.

Grade: D+