Why the Lakers are the biggest winners of the NBA trade deadline

Landing Doncic while only having to give up one first-round pick, a role player in Max Christie and an aging Anthony Davis is a great deal for the Lakers.

That is not to say that Davis is no longer a great player. The 31-year-old center is one of the best two-way players in the NBA. However, he is an aging star who has been injury-prone over the last few years.

Los Angeles was unlikely to compete for a championship this season anyway, so trading Davis for a 25-year-old generational talent is well worth it in the long run.

With this trade, all of the pressure is on the Mavericks, who have seen their championship window diminish from 10 years to the next two. Kyrie Irving is near the end of his prime, Klay Thompson is no longer in his prime and Davis is not yet out of his prime but on the north side of 30.

After dealing Davis to the Mavericks, an interior defensive presence was suddenly a major deficiency for the Lakers.

However, Rob Pelinka was able to address that need in another trade late Wednesday night.

Dalton Knecht was reportedly originally included in the deal with Dallas, but Pelinka was able to convince Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison to exclude the rookie forward from the deal. Instead, the Lakers were able to utilize that asset in another roster-building deal that will benefit their future.

In Mark Williams, Los Angeles landed a 23-year-old center who averaged 15.6 points and 9.6 rebounds on a pedestrian Hornets team.

Having the Lakers as the biggest winner of the trade deadline may seem obvious because Doncic — the best player who moved at the trade deadline — is now a member of the organization, but this move illustrates the thought process for this team moving forward.

For the first time in the LeBron James era, Los Angeles is not making moves that cater to James' career timeline. For years, the Lakers front office has made moves that revolve around the 40-year-old's desire to win now.

Instead, these two trades have provided Los Angeles with around a decade of relevance after James — a passing of the torch from one all-time great (James) to a superstar (Doncic) who has that type of potential.

This case is even stronger when taking into account the Lakers traded for an up-and-coming center who is still developing.

These acquisitions were all-around smart decisions by Pelinka, setting up the future for the organization. The window to win a championship with James as the main catalyst has come and gone, but Los Angeles has rightly invested into the future with a generational superstar at the helm.