Sports

NBA Trade Grades: Lakers Earn A+, Mavericks An F In Doncic Deal; Kings Middling Grade For Fox Return

Disclosure
We publish independently audited content meeting strict editorial standards. Ads on our site are served by Google AdSense and are not controlled or influenced by our editorial team.
Luka Doncic Anthony Davis

Most of us will remember every minor detail as to when we heard about the Luka Doncic-for-Anthony Davis swap. A shocked friend broke the news to me, which I denied until I couldn’t anymore. We couldn’t convey the gravity to people who don’t follow sports. I’m still not 100 percent sure this isn’t an elaborate prank, but this is the NBA in 2025. 

A three-team trade sending De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs and Zach Lavine to the Sacramento Kings feels like a footnote compared to Los Angeles and Dallas’ big moves. All teams involved will face major ramifications one way or another and we’re going to grade them all.

Los Angeles Lakers

In: Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, Markieff Morris

Out: Anthony Davis, Max Christie, 2029 first-round pick (via LAL), Jalen Hood-Schifino

I can’t begin to fathom the feeling Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka must have experienced when the trade went through. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself. Lakers exceptionalism won the day again as one of the NBA’s great generational talents stumbled backward into Los Angeles. Anthony Davis is an elite player, but the chance to acquire someone such as Doncic in his budding prime is like nothing I’ve ever seen.

It’s strange LeBron James wasn’t involved with the trade, but it’s an offer Pelinka couldn’t pass up. Even if Davis and Max Christie make the Lakers more dangerous this season, Doncic bolsters their future to a comical extent. Assuming he can return at full strength soon, the Lakers will pair two of the most feared playoff threats in NBA history between him and James. 

Despite Doncic and James’ ball dominance, James’ willingness to move off ball has grown later in his career. He’s an excellent 3-point shooter and the world’s most overqualified short-roll extender, a piece Doncic-led offenses cherish. James filling into a secondary role as a screener and second-side attacker can create unstoppable offense, and James’ creation will help spell Doncic when needed.

Los Angeles still must address a few spots on the roster before the deadline to remain competitive in the West. An upgrade at center will keep Jaxson Hayes in a reserve role and the Lakers could use another wing contributor after losing Christie. These holes on the margin pale in comparison to landing a 25-year-old, future Hall of Fame initiator, though.

The Lakers are prioritizing a world post-James’ retirement (whenever that comes) while also improving their odds to win this season. Assuming this doesn’t upset James, there’s genuinely nothing more they could have hoped for.

Grade: A+

Dallas Mavericks

In: Anthony Davis, Max Christie, 2029 1st round pick (via LAL)

Out: Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, Markieff Morris

When your fans are planting coffins outside of the stadium and claiming collusion from their new casino tycoon ownership, that’s probably a sign of an incorrect decision. I can’t say anything that hasn’t been said already. The Mavericks trading away Doncic at the beginning of his prime, ostensibly to shore up an already strong defense, will go down as the single most confusing, stunning destructive move in league history.

Doncic didn’t orchestrate this deal. He had no idea the Mavs were going to blow up their roster and trade their franchise centerpiece, who seemed intent on spending his career with Dallas. For all of his faults, Doncic is one of the few players in the league who can drag a team to a Finals berth in any given year.

Davis, as great as he is, isn’t one of those players. He’ll turn 32 in March, signaling an all-in move for the Mavericks as they look to return to the Finals. I’m far from convinced, though, that Davis’s addition — and Max Christie, shoutout Max Christie! He’s a good player — gives them a better shot than they’d have with Doncic.

Elite offensive engines like Doncic, especially ones who dominate in the playoffs like him, are irreplaceable. Doncic has accomplished more than most 25-year-olds could ever dream of in his basketball career. Maybe Dallas, currently the West’s No. 8 seed, musters another NBA Finals run and general manager Nico Harrison silences his innumerable doubters. Concerns about Doncic’s conditioning and injury history, however valid, are worth working around to have him lead your basketball team.

But at the moment, unless Doncic behind the scenes was far more nightmarish than anybody knows yet, this appears to be one of the most disastrous moves by any executive in sports history. It’s a miscalculation turned into an unmitigated calamity that could doom the Mavericks deep into the future. An F grade feels far too generous here.

Grade: Expelled

Utah Jazz

In: Jalen Hood-Schifino, 2025 2nd round pick (via DAL), 2025 2nd round pick (via LAC)

The Jazz add to their growing army of young, developmental guard prospects and nab a few second-round picks in the process. It’s a likely thing for CEO of basketball operations Danny Ainge to do, getting in as a footnote on the most unforgettable trade in basketball history.

Grade: B

San Antonio Spurs

In: De’Aaron Fox, Jordan McLaughlin

Out: Zach Collins, Tre Jones, Sidy Cissoko,  four first-round picks (2025 via CHA, 2025 via CHI, 2027 via SAS, 2031 via MIN), 2028 second-round pick via DEN

San Antonio capitalized on a sinking ship in Sacramento to land Victor Wembanyama’s first star counterpart. They poached a 27-year-old De’Aaron Fox without sacrificing any of their prized young pieces or valuable picks, aside from a Minnesota first-round pick that might succeed the heat death of our planet.

None of Collins, Jones or Cissoko carry significant value to the Spurs, especially for a player as good as Fox. The four first-round picks San Antonio sent out aren’t nearly as valuable as they seem on the surface, as protection shenanigans mean two of the four firsts may not convey.

Wembanyama is already knocking on the door of MVP contention as a 21-year-old sophomore, placing third in Estimated Plus-Minus (plus-5.6) this season. Acquiring high-cost talent around him on his rookie scale contract makes sense. San Antonio’s window won’t close for many years, but Wembanyama is too impactful to waste these valuable seasons of a cheap contract.

Concerns about Fox’s fit with Wembanyama based on his decline in 3-point shooting and paint pressuring are notable. He might not vault the Spurs to title contention as Wembanyama’s Robin, but Fox is an All-Star-caliber guard who will greatly improve San Antonio’s middling offense (15th in offensive rating).

Even if acquiring Fox doesn’t bear fruit, the downside for San Antonio is nearly nonexistent. In the worst-case scenario, the Spurs can let Fox walk in the summer of 2026 having lost barely anything of value. In the best case, this will be the first of a collection of moves to help bring the Spurs back to the mountaintop. It’s a grand slam trade.

Grade: A

Sacramento Kings

In: Zach LaVine, Sidy Cissoko, three first-round picks (2025 via CHA, 2027 via SAS, 2031 via MIN), three  second-round picks (2025 via CHI, 2028 via DEN, OWN 2028)

Out: De’Aaron Fox, Jordan McLaughlin, Kevin Huerter

Sacramento’s homegrown nucleus asking out of the only franchise he’s known as a professional complicates general manager Monte McNair’s decision-making process. An already tumultuous season has seen head coach Mike Brown’s firing, a rebound to relevancy and a slump over the last few weeks. If De’Aaron Fox was intent on leaving in the summer of 2026, trading him to recover some value makes sense, even if trading him in the first place doesn’t.

Replacing Fox with Zach LaVine, who’s having a fantastic season, shouldn’t change the Kings’ short-term outlook much. He’s scoring nearly the same volume of points as Fox on much higher efficiency and 3-point shooting. As an off-ball scorer, LaVine should feast as a second-side attacker and handoff creator with Domantas Sabonis.

But the Kings, even with Fox, probably weren’t making a deep playoff push this season without a minor miracle in their favor. While LaVine isn’t a significant downgrade from Fox in a vacuum, their return signals the same lack of direction that’s plagued the franchise for decades now. The Kings, in all likelihood, are still a star away from true title contention.

They landed three first-round picks, two of which (2025 via Charlotte, 2027 via San Antonio) likely won’t convey into valuable selections. The Kings couldn’t nab one of the Spurs’ coveted young players, unable to add a promising talent like Stephon Castle, Jeremy Sochan or Devin Vassel to their core. They couldn’t even pry one of San Antonio’s two lottery picks in a stacked 2025 draft.

LaVine’s arrival will keep the Kings in the playoff mix, but this trade won’t help their long-term outlook at all. Losing one of the most beloved players in franchise history for a package without any valuable future assets stings, failing to provide any direction for an already rudderless Kings organization. 

Grade: C-

Chicago Bulls

In: Zach Collins, Tre Jones, Kevin Huerter, own 2025 first-round pick 

Out: Zach LaVine, 2028 second-round pick via SAC

To the surprise of absolutely no one, the Bulls traded their 29-year-old sub-All-Star for pennies. A LaVine trade seemed imminent for the entirety of the season and the Bulls clearly view this as a resetting salary dump (which only makes sense if they continue to sell before the deadline). Still, losing a player as good as LaVine for as little as they received doesn’t feel like a win.

Recouping their own first-round pick this season is a win, but will the Bulls commit to boosting the value of this critical future asset? None of Collins, Jones or Huerter have any value outside of helping the Bulls field a complete roster. There’s a solid chance the Bulls would have retained their pick after trading their stars if they landed high enough in the draft anyway, possibly making the trade unnecessary. 

Chicago committing to the tank and trading their other positive players, notably Nikola Vucevic, would help make this trade feel a bit less useless. Vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas has given no indication of his desire to prioritize his team’s future, though. It’s far from Chicago’s worst single decision over the last half-decade but the LaVine trade will rub salt in Bulls fans’ wounds nonetheless.

Grade: D+