February 3, 2025 at 7:10 pm

Monday Daily Duncs (2/3/25)

Trade

Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis is the biggest trade in NBA history.

There have been just six trades of one player who has made an All-NBA first team at any point in his career for another:

  • 2025 LAL-DAL: Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis
  • 2019 HOU-OKC: Russell Westbrook-Chris Paul
  • 2019 LAC-OKC: Paul George-Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
  • 1993 GSW-ORL: Chris Webber-Penny Hardaway
  • 1980 PHO-SEA: Dennis Johnson-Paul Westphal
  • 1956 BOS-STL: Bill Russell-Ed Macauley

Chris Webber, Penny Hardaway and Bill Russell had their draft rights traded before they ever played in the league.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was coming off a rookie year that didn't even land him on the All-Rookie first team when the Clippers traded him to the Thunder.

When the Rockets dealt him to the Thunder, Chris Paul was 34 and expected to be on the downswing. That turned out to be even more true of Russell Westbrook (not shocking given his style of play).

Dennis Johnson (25) and Paul Westphal (29) truly appeared to be in the NBA's elite and young enough to remain there when the Sonics and Suns swapped the guards in 1980. Maybe that trade would be remembered differently if Westphal didn't get hurt early in Seattle and sharply decline. But Johnson and Westphal combined for four career All-NBA first-team selections.

Doncic and Davis EACH ALREADY have that many.

Yesterday's trade stands alone.

Luka Doncic

Luka Doncic has already made more All-NBA first teams than Dirk Nowitzki.

All the talk about what Doncic has ahead of him is warranted. But let's take a moment to appreciate what he has already done.

The Mavericks chose to become just the seventh team ever to trade* someone who earned five All-NBA first teams with that team:

  • DAL in 2025: Luka Doncic to LAL
  • HOU in 2021: James Harden to BRK
  • ORL in 2012: Dwight Howard to LAL
  • LAL in 2004: Shaquille O'Neal to MIA
  • SAS in 1985: George Gervin to CHI
  • CIN in 1970: Oscar Robertson to MIL
  • BOS in 1969: Bob Cousy to CIN

Other than Doncic, every player on that list demanded a trade and/or was at least 31.

Doncic is just 25 and, by all accounts, did not ask out.

*As with all trades in this post, not counting sign-and-trades or, in a previous system, when a team signed a player to an offer sheet then traded for him to complete was effectively a sign-and-trade.

Luka Doncic

Because of his age and talent, nobody expects Luka Doncic to stop making All-NBA first teams.

Just nine players have ever been traded in the midst of superstardom, defined as making an All-NBA first team both before and after the deal:

  • Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans to Los Angeles Lakers in 2019)
  • Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio Spurs to Toronto Raptors in 2018)
  • Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets to Los Angeles Clippers in 2011)
  • Kevin Garnett (Minnesota Timberwolves to Boston Celtics in 2007)
  • Shaquille O’Neal (Los Angeles Lakers to Miami Heat in 2004)
  • Jason Kidd (Phoenix Suns to New Jersey Nets in 2001)
  • Charles Barkley (Philadelphia 76ers to Phoenix Suns in 1992)
  • Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Milwaukee Bucks to Los Angeles Lakers in 1975)
  • Wilt Chamberlain (San Francisco Warriors to Philadelphia 76ers in 1965)

Doncic will probably make that 10.

Heck, Anthony Davis could crack the list a second time, though another All-NBA first team for him at this point is ambitious.

Anthony Davis

Anthony Davis became Lakers royalty his first season with Los Angeles, making an All-NBA first team and winning a championship.

Players who hit that double rarely ever get traded. The list is mostly comprised of players who got old and/or extraordinary circumstances (year of championship):

  • Anthony Davis LAL (2020) to DAL in 2025
  • Kevin Garnett BOS (2008) to NJN in 2013
  • Shaquille O'Neal MIA (2006) to PHO in 2008
  • Shaquille O'Neal LAL (2000, 2001, 2002) to MIA in 2004
  • Moses Malone PHI (1983) to WSB in 1986
  • Kareem Abdul-Jabbar MIL (1971) to LAL in 1975
  • Walt Frazier NYK (1970) to CLE in 1977*
  • Wilt Chamberlain PHI (1967) to LAL in 1968
  • Bob Cousy BOS (1957, 1959, 1960, 1961) to CIN in 1969

Kevin Garnet and Shaquille O'Neal (Heat to Suns) were on the wrong side of 35. Bob Cousy was 41 – and Cincinnati Royals coach! For Cousy to make a seven-game comeback after six years of retirement, the Royals had to send Boston compensation.

Shaq (Lakers to Heat), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain demanded trades.

*Walt Frazier wasn't actually traded. The Knicks sent him to Cleveland as compensation for signing Jim Cleamons in free agency, as was an element of the system at the time.

The 76ers trading Moses Malone at age 31 for Jeff Ruland is the only precedent for a team just choosing to trade a title-winning superstar while he was still in his prime. And that's known as one of the worst trades of all-time.

The Lakers did just choose to trade Anthony Davis while he's still in his prime. But there was also an extraordinary circumstance:

A player like Luka Doncic coming available.

Los Angeles Lakers

How do the Lakers keep getting away with this?

Luka Doncic is Los Angeles' 13th player who previously finished top three for MVP elsewhere:

  • Luka Doncic
  • Carmelo Anthony
  • Russell Westbrook
  • Anthony Davis
  • LeBron James
  • Steve Nash
  • Dwight Howard
  • Karl Malone
  • Gary Payton
  • Shaquille O'Neal
  • Bob McAdoo
  • Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
  • Wilt Chamberlain

Obviously, that list includes some over-the-hill players. But less so than the second-place Celtics, who've had 11 players who previously finished top three for MVP elsewhere:

  • Blake Griffin
  • Shaquille O'Neal
  • Jermaine O'Neal
  • Kevin Garnett
  • Gary Payton
  • Dominique Wilkins
  • Bill Walton
  • Pete Maravich
  • Bob McAdoo
  • Tiny Archibald
  • Dave Bing

No other franchise has had more than eight such players.

The Lakers just keeping getting established superstars at an unparalleled rate.

LeBron James-Luka Doncic

Luka Doncic is closer in age to Bronny James than to LeBron James. In fact, the age gap between Doncic and Bronny is more than double the age gap between Doncic and LeBron.

By next year, LeBron (currently 40) and Doncic (currently 25) will likely break the record for biggest age difference between All-Star teammates. The Lakers' new top two are separated by more than 14 full years.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy, who made four All-Star games together as Lakers teammates in the 80s, are about 13 years and 11 months apart.

Superstar movement

Before this trade, the NBA had quietly exited an era of superstar movement. In the last four years, 17 of 20 All-NBA first-team slots went to players who've played for only one team:

  • Giannis Antetokounmpo
  • Nikola Jokic
  • Luka Doncic
  • Jayson Tatum
  • Joel Embiid
  • Devin Booker
  • Stephen Curry

All four championships in this period came on the back of someone on this list – Antetokounmpo, Curry, Jokic, Tatum. Though Tatum is Boston's best player, he didn't win Finals MVP, but that award went to Jaylen Brown, another homegrown star.

The only All-NBA first-team, one-team exceptions: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Kawhi Leonard.

Gilgeous-Alexander has starred for only one team. Leonard is the only real mercenary superstar of this period, and he made only one All-NBA first team – four years ago.

Doncic going to Los Angeles really changes the paradigm.

Largest contract

Luka Doncic isn't signing the largest deal in NBA history anymore.

Not this summer at least.

In 2027? Maybe.

Ineligible for the super max because he got traded after his rookie-scale contract, Doncic isn't getting the $345 million over five years everyone expected Dallas to pay him this summer.

So, Jayson Tatum's record – $314 million (over five years from the Celtics last year) – will stand a while longer.

Who will break it?

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander this summer will be eligible for a four-year super-max extension projected to be worth $293 million. He'll probably sign that. If he doesn't, he'd likely break the record the following offseason with a five-year super-max extension projected at $380 million

Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Donovan Mitchell are heading toward the same potential max terms as Gilgeous-Alexander – just on a different timeline. Jokic, Antetokounmpo and Mitchell will be eligible for the four-year, $293 million extension in 2026. Or they could become free agents in 2027 and sign the record-breaking five-year, $380 million contract. Though all three have players options for 2027-28 as fallbacks, they seem more likely to take the four-year extension first.

Many expect Doncic to sign a 2+1 extension with the Lakers. That'd give him 10 years of service and qualify him for the highest salary tier for his following deal that would begin in 2028. Doncic would be eligible to sign that deal as a four-year extension in 2027 – with a projected max of $323 million.

Not quite $345 million. But more than Tatum's record of $314 million.

Trade grade

While the Mavericks have been widely panned for this trade, I didn't expect Kevin Pelton to give them a straight F. But that's exactly what he did, making a compelling case about not only about Dallas' macro error, but micro ones, too.

Mavericks-Cavaliers

Dallas didn't have any of its new players. Kyrie Irving, P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II were also out.

But the Mavericks following this trade by immediately falling behind the Cavaliers 91-46 at halftime yesterday felt almost poetic..

Dallas' 45-point halftime deficit is the third-largest in NBA history.

In 2020, the Clippers trailed the Luka Doncic-led Mavericks by 50 at halftime.

(In 1991, the Kings trailed the Warriors by 47 at halftime.)

At least Dallas outscored Cleveland in the second half yesterday to lost just 144-101. The Mavericks are trending up!

-Dan Feldman