Your life was likely very ordinary on Saturday night. With a basketball game on your television, and Instagram reels in your palm, nothing could have interrupted such a perfect, carefree weekend.
That was, until the Dallas Mavericks set the basketball world ablaze with the trade deal to end all trade deals, obtaining the rights to Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and Los Angeles' 2029 first-round pick. Clearly, the Mavs had set a course to the NBA Finals. Going all-in with a core of AD, Kyrie, and Luka could be--
...What was that? What? I must've misheard you, I thought you said they traded Luka Doncic, one of the best players in basketball and the man who led the team to the NBA Finals last season. There's no way that's what you said, because the Lakers would have given up way more to land a player like that.
Oh, they gave up Jalen Hood-Schifino to Utah as well? Say no more—this is a perfectly even trade.
"I believe that defense wins championships," said Mavericks GM Nico Harrison, per 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."
Luka's poor defense was well-documented in the championship series against Boston last season, and questions about Doncic's health drove the Mavs to shop their All-NBA guard before the trade deadline.
Opting for Davis is a short-sighted, though defense-infused, strategy, so if that's Harrison's main objective, I guess he's accomplished just that. In that case, let's take a look at the new-look, NBA Finals-destined Mavericks.
Anthony Davis highlights the Mavericks' starting lineup
Along with Luka's departure, the Lakers will retain the rights to Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris, so three players leave Jason Kidd's Dallas rotation, and two players enter.
A new look, a new order, a new depth chart for the Mavs. Let's take a look at the immediate future of Mavericks basketball.
Point Guard:
1. Kyrie Irving
2. Spencer Dinwiddie
3. Jaden Hardy
Shooting Guard:
1. Klay Thompson
2. Max Christie*
*Acquired in the Doncic deal.
Small Forward:
1. PJ Washington
2. Caleb Martin**
3. Dante Exum
**Acquired from Philadelphia
Power Forward:
1. Anthony Davis*
2. Naji Marshall
3. Olivier Maxence-Prosper
Center:
1. Daniel Gafford
2. Dereck Lively II
3. Dwight Powell