How LA Lakers' Massive Trade for Luka Doncic Impacts San Antonio Spurs

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jonah Kubicek | Last updated Feb 2, 2025 2:29 PM ET

In the early morning hours of Sunday, fans reckoned with one of the biggest trade bombshells in NBA history: the Dallas Mavericks were sending Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick.

There has previously been no indication that either Doncic or Davis were on the trade block, and the trade has already sent shockwaves through the league. However, the San Antonio Spurs, who sat on the sidelines for the deal, stand to benefit greatly from it.

First of all, the Spurs are owed a pick swap from Dallas in 2030. By then, Davis and Kyrie Irving will both be 37 years old and Klay Thompson will be 40, so it's hard to imagine that the Mavericks will be good, meaning the Spurs will get a top pick in a distant draft pick.

In the immediate future, this deal reset the NBA trade market. In recent years, Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, and Mikal Bridges were all traded for five picks and swaps. Doncic is head and shoulders better than any of those players, and the fact that only a single pick was included in the deal should be quite telling.

As the Spurs pursue De'Aaron Fox, Trae Young, or perhaps even LaMelo Ball, the realistic bidding was expected to start at five (or more) picks and a promising young player. With the league seeing how little the Mavericks got for Doncic, the Spurs might be able to buy low on a promising talent.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: