The Luka Doncic trade hit the sports world like a meteor. The NBA landscape was forever altered, and even faraway lands like the MLB and NFL were feeling the repercussions. A top-three player (heading into his prime, no less) was traded midseason. This, simply, does not happen – not in the NBA, not in the NFL or MLB, not anywhere in any sport in any corner of this planet.
For those who haven’t been consuming sports media over the past 72 hours like a starved shipwreck survivor, allow me to fill you in: Luka Doncic, one of the youngest and most dominant offensive players in NBA history, was traded – out of the blue – for Anthony Davis, a fantastic player in his own right, but more defensively-oriented. Why? Well, according to the Dallas Mavericks, they had some concerns about Luka’s conditioning. Now, that conditioning (or lack thereof) didn’t stop Luka from averaging an NBA-high 33.9 points per game last year, nor did it prevent the Mavericks from reaching the NBA Finals, thanks in large part to Luka rampaging through the Western Conference like a rhino in a preschool. So, what were those concerns about conditioning again?
A Doncic for Davis swap would be, on its own, a momentous event in sports, but throw in the fact that the Mavericks sold one of the best players in the world for a fraction of his true worth, and now you begin to understand why this deal made such an unprecedented firestorm. This isn’t debatable: if Mikal Bridges commands five first-round picks in a trade, Luka is definitely worth more than Davis and a single first. This is not a shot at Davis – who is one of the best bigs the NBA has to offer – but an affirmation of the singular offensive machine that is Luka. After all, Davis plays with LeBron James, arguably the greatest playmaker in league history, and they didn’t sniff the Finals last year. Luka, meanwhile, almost single-handedly lifted the Mavericks to the championship. That’s how great Luka is.
In the immediate aftermath of this blockbuster, there was a rush to make sense of it all. What would the NFL version of this trade be? What about baseball? Is there any precedent anywhere?
Fortunately, there was no shortage of opinions. And, being the sports historian that I am, I have compiled a list of some of the best (and worst) takes regarding this once-in-a-lifetime event. You’re welcome.
The Baltimore Ravens trade Lamar Jackson to the Cincinnati Bengals for Joe Burrow (courtesy of Adam Schefter)
Oh boy, where to begin? Schefter got the ball rolling with one of the all-time bad trade comparisons, but you have to give him credit for knowing how to drive engagement. We all knew Schefter was an excellent sports reporter, but who knew he also had a master’s in trolling?
For many (many) reasons, Jackson for Burrow does not equal Doncic for Davis. For starters, Jackson and Burrow are too similar – not stylistically, but from a performance and team success standpoint. They are both the elite of the elite at quarterback. There are four truly outstanding QBs in the NFL, and if you want to quibble about their standing, that’s fine, but what is unquestionable is the four names that exist in that space: in no particular order, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes.
As great as Anthony Davis is, he isn’t in the same area code as Doncic. The gap between Burrow and Jackson is smaller than the gap between Michael Strahan’s front teeth. The gap between Doncic and Davis might as well be between where I’m currently sitting and the moon. Davis is phenomenal, but Doncic is legendary.
The Buffalo Bills trade Josh Allen to the Los Angeles Rams for Matthew Stafford and a 1st-round pick (courtesy of Nick Wright)
The Cincinnati Bengals trade Joe Burrow to the Dallas Cowboys for Dak Prescott and picks/parts (courtesy of Matthew Berry)
I grouped these takes together because they both have the same vibe: team trades young elite quarterback for aging vet at the same position, maybe with a pick thrown in. We’re honing in on the target, but we’re still missing by about a foot.
If anything, these takes might be a little unfair to Anthony Davis. Make no mistake, Davis can’t hold a candle to Doncic, but that doesn’t mean there are very many players in the NBA who can hold a candle to AD. He’s a beastly defender, a nightmare when he’s rolling toward the paint, and with enough handle and shooting ability to be a threat away from the basket too. He’s a ten-time All-Star!
Stafford will likely be in the Hall of Fame when he retires, but he’s not a difference-maker anymore. And comparing Davis to Prescott is, frankly, just rude, especially now that Prescott is coming off his second season-ending injury of his career.
The Los Angeles Chargers trade Justin Herbert to the Cleveland Browns for Myles Garrett (courtesy of Louis Riddick on The Rich Eisen Show)
For the first time, we have someone who didn’t insult Anthony Davis in their comparison. He insulted Luka instead!
Are we serious, Louis? Justin Herbert is like Luka Doncic? You’ve got to be joking.
Look, Herbert is talented, but Luka lit the world on fire last year. Herbert has potential, but Luka could potentially be one of the best players of all-time. We’re still waiting for Herbert to win a playoff game. Meanwhile, Luka could retire tomorrow and still be elected into the Hall of Fame.
But hey, Davis has to be pretty psyched about this take, so kudos for that.
The Cincinnati Bengals trade Ja’Marr Chase to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a 2nd-round pick (courtesy of Jordan Shultz)
Technically, Jordan Schultz is just quoting a general manager he spoke to, but credit for going in a different direction with this take.
Chase for Evans and a 2nd-round pick feels pretty close in terms of talent level. Chase and Luka are both game-breaking players, and while Evans and Davis are not (more Evans than Davis), they’re both criminally underrated.
As far as the takes we’ve seen, this one is pretty good, but it still doesn’t quite capture the full essence of the Doncic/Davis deal. There are no concerns with Chase, and while the concerns with Doncic might be unfounded, they’re real enough for the Mavericks, and, as I’ve said for the umpteenth time, comparing Evans to Davis just isn’t giving AD enough credit.
Circa 2014, the Cincinnati Bengals trade Geno Atkins and a 1st-round pick to the Indianapolis Colts for Andrew Luck and a 1st-round pick (courtesy of James Rapien)
We’re getting next-level with this take. Nobody considered going back in time for their trade comparison – no one except James, that is.
So far, this is the best yet. At the very least, James gets the spirit of the trade right: a superstar QB with some flaws (Luck) traded for one of the most disruptive defensive players in the league (Atkins) as well as some draft compensation. That, in a nutshell, is what the Doncic for Davis trade was all about.
Still, we might not be doing Davis justice – or Luka, for that matter. Andrew Luck was outstanding, but he was never in the conversation for best quarterback in the league. In the case of Luka Doncic, those were literally the conversations being had during the NBA Finals eight months ago. And while those in Cincinnati know what a fantastic player Geno Atkins was, Davis surpasses him comfortably.
The Cincinnati Reds trade Elly De La Cruz to the Los Angeles Angels for Mike Trout (courtesy of Reds Daily)
This baseball comparison came (pardon the pun) out of left field, but it does at least capture some of the name recognition and player prominence factor that some of these other takes have not.
Elly De La Cruz is hilariously talented, but Luka is far better at this point at his craft than Elly. On the other hand, Trout has had a far better baseball career than Davis has had a basketball career, but you’d be nuts if you said Trout was a better player right now. Davis might have earned nicknames like “Day-to-Davis” and “Mr. Glass,” but he’s still played in 60% of his teams’ games over the last five seasons. For Trout, that number doesn’t even reach 40%.
Still, as a Reds fan, if I woke up and found out that the Reds had traded De La Cruz for Trout, I’d probably be just as distraught as any Mavs fan, so maybe this take really is the best take of all.
Circa 2022, the Cincinnati Bengals trade Joe Burrow to the Kansas City Chiefs for Chris Jones and a 1st-round pick (courtesy of…me, this is my best take)
Ignore the fact that the Chiefs have Patrick Mahomes and would never trade for a QB, but in terms of talent level, I think this is the closest NFL trade we can make.
Burrow is outstanding, but there are injury concerns. Jones is an All-World defender, but is getting a little long in the tooth. The Bengals were coming off a loss in the Super Bowl. The Mavericks are coming off a loss in the NBA Finals. Yes, this comparison is imperfect.
The fact is, this trade is almost impossible to fathom because it is basically unfathomable. This kind of deal should never be made – and yet, it did. There’s no sense in trying to make sense of it.