Luka Dončić was only traded a few weeks ago, but his departure from the Dallas Mavericks is already being felt across the league following his first games as a Los Angeles Laker. Despite Dončić’s unexceptional performance in his Lakers debut, scoring 14 points in just 24 minutes, ratings for the game were 42% higher than the average NBA regular season game last year.
All eyes have been on Dončić since ESPN Senior NBA Insider Shams Charania sent shockwaves through the sports world 12 minutes past midnight on Feb. 2. Without any prior rumors, he reported that the 25-year-old superstar was being traded to the Lakers alongside two other players for 10-time NBA All-Star Anthony Davis, swingman Max Christie and the Lakers’ 2029 first-round draft pick. The trade was so unexpected that fans and spectators alike thought Charania’s account had been hacked.
Never in the history of basketball has a player of Dončić’s magnitude, a once-in-a-lifetime talent, been traded. Immediate speculation arose that Dončić must have requested a trade or been unhappy with the Mavericks organization, but this was not the case. It was later disclosed that the trade was largely due to an uncertainty in Dončić’s conditioning in the wake of a potential supermax contract extension over the summer. Regardless, what is certain is that Dončić will now be teaming up with LeBron James for one of the most storied sports franchises, making the Dončić trade one of the most impactful trades in the history of American sports.
In the history of American professional sports, there have been franchise-altering, league-defining trades. On Jan. 5, 1920, the MLB announced that Babe Ruth was traded from the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees, changing the trajectory of both franchises and leading to the evolution of the MLB and the sport of baseball as a whole. On Aug. 9, 1988, Wayne Gretzky was sent from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings, which popularized hockey in California and marked the first time an undisputed GOAT of a major sport was involved in a trade. These trades held significant weight on their respective leagues, increasing sales and moving the MLB and NHL forward. But Dončić’s trade can have an even greater impact on a downward-trending NBA.
The NBA has recently seen a 25% drop in viewership across all channels. The reason for this decrease seems to be a culmination of several factors. For one, fans are frustrated with the comical amount of 3-pointers every team takes in today’s league. The lack of unique offensive approaches have left average viewers with little to look forward to while watching a game. However, modern analytics show that this method is the most efficient way to play the game, and the NBA cannot force teams to take a different approach.
Secondly, the NBA is currently in a transitional period of superstar players, as the cornerstones of the league such as Lebron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry are beginning to show their age on the court. Stars drive the NBA, and without their biggest names running the headlines, audiences are quickly losing interest.
However, the rise in young talent leaves room for optimism. Players like Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Anthony Edwards, Philadelphia 76ers point guard Tyrese Maxey and Oklahoma City Thunder point guard and shooting guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander give hope that the league fans love is here to stay. At the forefront of this new wave is Dončić, the Slovenian superstar with a one-of-a-kind isolation talent and a knack for filling up the stat sheet. In just seven seasons, Dončić has already accumulated five All-NBA First Team selections — one more than Curry, the pioneer of modern basketball, has accumulated in 16 seasons. Last year, Dončić led the Mavericks to their first NBA Finals appearance in over a decade. It is not an overreaction to regard Dončić as the best player in the league.
That brings us back to the trade.
We have never seen a league’s best player dealt to another franchise while in their peak — even Gretzky’s skill level was slowly declining when he was sent to the L.A. Kings. Trades like these have never seemed practical, but for the first time, this idea was disregarded with the Dončić-Davis trade. Dallas Mavericks General Manager Nico Harrison took the gutsiest of chances while undertaking this trade, completely changing the identity of their franchise with one transaction.
A trade like this alters a league. While you can buy some Lakers tickets for $47, the cheapest price for the Mavericks vs. Lakers game on Feb. 25 is $250 on SeatGeek. No one expected the NBA to dominate the headlines in early February amid the Super Bowl and constant chatter about how the NFL still commands American culture, but the Dončić-Davis trade has sent the league back to the top of the news cycle, with over 100 million fans gravitating toward Charania’s social media posts. Group chats have exploded. Talk shows have gone ballistic. A feeling of shock has run through the sports community to an extent never seen before.
It is uncertain how this acquisition will change the outlook of the NBA, but there is no doubt in my mind that a trade of this level will kickstart a rise in ratings, fan engagement and overall success for the NBA.
Sammy Brodsky (28C) is majoring in QSS and minoring in Film and Media. He is from Phoenix, Arizona. In his free time, he enjoys playing basketball, rooting for Philadelphia sports teams, golfing, and analyzing music. He loves sports analytics and journalism, and is excited to see what he can do for the Wheel.
