Undoubtedly, the most significant storyline of the 2024-25 NBA season was the incredibly surprising blockbuster trade between the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks, which resulted in Luka Dončić moving to L.A. and Anthony Davis heading to Dallas.
This trade was arguably the most shocking in the league`s history. The reaction across the board – from fans and media to players and front-office executives – was one of shared disbelief. Initially, many assumed the news was fake, only to be astounded when its reality became clear. Players on the Phoenix Suns, for instance, were reportedly seen gathered around Kevin Durant`s phone during a game, discussing the news from their bench. The Golden State Warriors, as it turns out, were at a charity poker event. A new video posted by Alan Keating captured the moment Stephen Curry broke the news to his teammates, his reaction described as screaming.
A particularly memorable snippet from the video is the camera panning to capture Kyle Anderson`s absolutely priceless facial expression upon hearing the news.
Curry`s incoherent reaction echoed the feelings of many fans. Another underrated moment in the footage shows Warriors assistant GM Kirk Lacob also dismissing the news as fake initially, before trying to comprehend how such a deal could have transpired. While players being surprised by trades is common, the Dončić trade was unique because seemingly no one around the league, even those within team front offices outside of L.A. and Dallas, had any inkling that discussions were taking place. This video further illustrates just how blindsided executives on other teams were by the transaction.
While the immediate outcome that season saw the Lakers eliminated in the first round and the Mavericks miss the playoffs via the Play-In tournament, the trade has set in motion significant long-term consequences that will influence the league for years to come. The Lakers secured a potential long-term successor to LeBron James, while the Mavericks ended up in the NBA Draft Lottery and remarkably won the top pick, allowing them to draft Cooper Flagg.
The Warriors, who themselves made a major trade later to acquire Jimmy Butler, immediately recognized the immense significance of this deal. They understood its impact not only on the Western Conference landscape for that season but also on the fundamental power dynamics within the NBA for the foreseeable future. Beyond that, the trade delivered a potent message that virtually any player could be moved, even one of the league`s top young stars like Dončić, who had seemed like a foundational cornerstone for Dallas.
Jasper Hawthorne