Insiders try to make sense of Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade

The NBA world was shocked late Saturday night when ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the Dallas Mavericks (26-23) traded superstar guard Luka Doncic, along with Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris, to the Los Angeles Lakers (28-19) in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick. 

Charania reported that "this trade materialized from the shadows" with many executives around the league being shocked that the Mavericks were even shopping their franchise player who led the team to a finals appearance just last season. 

This is a league-altering move that seemingly came out of nowhere. The trade caused a mass media frenzy that sent NBA twitter into chaos with everyone wanting to know why would the Mavericks trade Luka Doncic. A few insiders with access to those close to the trade broke down why the Mavs would make such a bizarre move. 

“I believe that defense wins championships,” Mavericks General Nico Harrison said to ESPN's Tim MacMahon “I believe that getting an All-Defensive center and an All-NBA player with a defensive mindset gives us a better chance. We’re built to win now and in the future.” 

Trading for a five-time All-Defense team selection in Davis is certainly a solution for a defensive oriented win-now team, but is that worth trading the 25-year-old Doncic for?

MacMahon further reported that the Mavericks were weary of Luka's conditioning issues and the responsibility of offering him a supermax contract this upcoming offseason. While Doncic has missed 22 out of 49 games this season, this is still a absurd move by the Mavericks front office. 

It has been confirmed that Luka Doncic did not force his way out of Dallas as veteran NBA journalist Mark Stein reports the star did not request a trade.

As we await more details on what led to this blockbuster trade one thing is sure: no one could have predicted that when Luka Doncic went off the floor with a calf injury on Christmas day that would be the last time he ever wore a Mavericks jersey.