De'Luka Foxic Blockbuster Weekend Thoughts and Reactions
Hi
Luka Doncic being traded on Saturday night will forever be remembered as a “where were you when” moment. Sporting transactions rarely call for “where were you when” moments because, well, they are pretty irrelevant to society as a whole. No one is dying (Mavs fans maybe), no natural disaster is occuring, no one is hurt. Sporting moments are one of the few times where someone can remember what they were doing, where they were doing it, and who they were with while being certain that London isn’t burning. That is why these things are important. Luka Doncic being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers is a historic trade that will change professional basketball and Southern California culture as we know it.
I was already planning on writing a blog post for the Luka blockbuster but held off for a few hours after blacking out from the news. Last evening, I finished the first season of Severance (a brilliant, brilliant show). As the episode ended, with my jaw on the floor, I picked up my phone to ANOTHER Shams tweet reporting the De’Aaron Fox trade.
I dropped everything and began writing this.
Here are seven notes, thoughts, reactions, whatever from the De’Luka Foxic blockbusters.
I need to get this off before Jimmy Butler is traded here we go.
LeBron James will pass the torch to Luka Doncic as the next iconic Los Angeles Laker
That was the primary thought circling my mind mid-way through blacking out from that Shams tweet. While this LeBron season has been impressive and cute - let’s be frank - no one in their right mind expected another championship run from the GOAT.
Of course, unless, something catastrophically insane were to happen - like *cough* the Lakers somehow, someway finding a way to miraculously land a generational basketball player just entering their peak prime. And, well, it happened. Luka Doncic, who is only 25 years old, is arguably a top-two talent in the NBA when healthy (anyone saying SGA is better than Luka needs a slap in the face) . A player of Doncic’s caliber and age is untouchable given what he can provide now and for the next decade.
Now the Lakers, who made the biggest trade of the 1960’s (Wilt Chamberlain), 1970’s (Kareem Abdul Jabbar), and 1990’s (Shaquille O’Neal) land Luka in the biggest trade of the 21st century.
I tend to be pretty reactionary and I am aware of that. However, calling this the biggest trade in the 77 (Luka’s number by the way) year history of the National Basketball Association isn’t an overreaction. We are living through a colossal moment in professional sports history.
SHAMS OUT OF NOWHERE
Nowadays, trades involving star talent involve smoke screens, mean tweets, or any type of signal that a player is available on the open market. For instance, look at Jimmy Butler who is on his arms and knees begging for Pat Riley to ship him to Phoenix. It’s just a natural cycle in the modern player empowerment era. Players get what they want and teams can’t really do anything about it.
There was zero. I mean ZERO implications that a 25 year old Luka Doncic wanted out of Dallas. Sure Luka is not having his best season and is battling a bad calf injury, but still, star players go through all sorts of leaps and bounds similar to what Luka is going through this season.
It’s eerie how silent this trade was. I was playing EA College Football with some buddies and out of nowhere Josh goes “hold up, I think Luka just got traded. Wait that can’t be right”. I immediately slammed my controller down, picked up my phone and saw one single notification on my phone. It was a singular tweet that was locked until I scanned my face ID. I picked up my phone, centered my face, and shrieked like a girl in my sister’s sorority.
Like the entire sports universe, the first instinct was that the ever so reliable Shams Charania was hacked. Luka was traded for….that?
Continue.
The Lakers paid 35 cents on the dollar for Luka
In a normal world (because we don’t live in one), a player of Luka’s caliber (think SGA, Anthony Edwards) would go for a star (or semi-star) player (think Pascal Siakam/Damian Lillard), a starting-caliber player (think Naz Reid/Kyle Kuzma), a prized/glamorized young stud (think Amen Thompson/Dereck Lively II), and a Wemby sized handful of first-round picks (and pick-swaps).
Yes. That would be an appropriate trade package for a Luka, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards type of player. Don’t say it would be too much.
The Mavericks received an aging (31) Anthony Davis (with a phonebook history of injuries), Max Christie (a solid young player), and one (I repeat ONE) unprotected first round pick.
No Austin Reaves, Dalton Knecht, not even Jalen fucking Hood Schifno (who was sent to Utah as the third team in the deal). It is nothing less than inexcusable, irresponsible, and idiotic. Those are three words that start with “i” that a general manager cannot be called and that is what I’m calling Nico Harrison. It’s really a shame too given since Harrison strategically constructed a solid roster around Doncic too over the past two seasons (and offseasons) trading for Kyrie, PJ Washington, Daniel Gafford, and drafting Dereck Lively.
If Mikal Bridges (a great player by all accounts but not even remotely close to Luka) can be traded for 5 first round picks, Doncic should be traded for 8 or 9 by that logic.
Dallas didn’t ship Luka to other teams
Another head scratcher and another reason why Nico Harrison receives the three “I” words in inexcusable, irresponsible, and idiotic. There are teams with far more trade capital than the Lakers who would have given everything they have in more for a CHANCE to just start negotiations. Take for instance - the Spurs, Rockets, OKLAHOMA CITY, Memphis (all western teams by the way). Each one of those teams would have offered far more than what the Lakers had to offer.
We are talking up to five, six first round picks. We are talking about a solid young stud or two (Cam Whitmore/Jaylen Wells/Cason Wallace/Stephon Castle’s of the world). We are talking probably even Jalen Green and Desmond Bane.
However, Dallas only reached out to Los Angeles meaning that they wanted to add Anthony Davis (read more ranting under point 6) which makes this trade even more sufferable for the Mavericks and Dallas community.
The Spurs (and more importantly Victor Wembanyama) have a franchise point guard for the foreseeable future
Ah YES, that other trade! A De’Aaron Fox trade would surely be the highlight of any other deadline. Victor Wembanyama has come a long way from having Tre Jones and the Jeremy Sochan experiment (lol that was horrible) as a point guard.
Of all the point guards in the NBA, there are few who would pair better with Victor Wembanyama than De’Aaron Fox. The Spurs identity with Wemby will be defensive focused for as long as he stays in San Antonio. While the Spurs defense is in good hands, there is really no lead playmaker/bucket-getter/offensive mistero to pair alongside Wembanyama.
Fox, averaging 25 points and 6 assists this season, is the perfect offensive weapon for this Spurs team. I mean like the perfect fit.
Victor Wembanyama
De’Aaron Fox
Devin Vassell
Stephon Castle
Keldon Johnson
Jeremy Sochan
Harrison Barnes
Chris Paul
That is quite a roster!!
Dallas WANTED Anthony Davis and PROVIDED Luka in return
Yeah. Dallas wanted Anthony Davis on their roster and said “hey do you want Luka?”.
Another inexcusable, irresponsible, and idiotic action in this chain-link trade.
You do not trade Luka for anyone unless his leg is broken in half.
San Antonio kept all of their young, glamorous talent in the Fox trade
An important part of this trade for San Antonio was keeping their young talent. Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, and Jermey Sochan all remain on the Spurs roster AFTER acquiring De’Aaron Fox. Without the help of Chicago trading Zach LaVine to Sacramento, you would think one of those four players (most likely Johnson or Sochan) would be playing in a purple jersey.