The NBA found itself in complete pandemonium after a trade that will go down in history.
What started as a seemingly impossible rumor quickly snowballed into a moment of pure sports drama with the announcement of the deal that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.
When the details came to light — Doncic moving to L.A. in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a first-round pick — social media erupted in disbelief.
Mavericks fans, in particular, refused to accept that their cornerstone player could be traded away so casually.
The shock waves reverberated across the league, with NBA players expressing their astonishment.
Day’Ron Sharpe, a veteran center for the Brooklyn Nets, didn’t mince words about the situation.
“I ain’t gonna lie, Mavs fans should be mad,” Sharpe said, via ClutchPoints. “You never know how it’ll play out. But if I was a Mavs fan, I’d be mad that they traded Luka.”
Day’Ron Sharpe says Mavs fans should be mad about the Luka Doncic trade 😅
“I ain’t gonna lie, Mavs fans should be mad… If I was a Mavs fan, I would be mad that they traded Luka.”
(via @erikslater_) pic.twitter.com/DCmJHJyPWA
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 3, 2025
The reaction eventually transformed from disbelief to outright anger.
Trading a top-five player in his prime seemed almost unthinkable in today’s NBA landscape.
The return of a soon-to-be 32-year-old Davis and just one first-round pick only intensified the fan backlash.
Mavericks fans made their frustration abundantly clear, staging protests outside American Airlines Center that included a symbolic funeral, complete with a blue coffin bearing the team’s logo.
With the NBA trade deadline near, the basketball world remains on edge, with rumors of potential moves continuing to dominate discussions.
The Doncic trade serves as a reminder of how quickly the league can shift, leaving fans, players and analysts alike scrambling to make sense of it all.
NEXT: Details Emerge About Mavericks’ Original Trade Request To Lakers
