DAN BICKLEY

Luka Doncic trade proves again the Lakers are the luckiest franchise in sports history

Feb 2, 2025, 12:50 PM

We have seen bad trades, lopsided trades and trades that work for both teams. 

Never have we seen a trade so shocking. 

Luka Doncic to the Lakers? For Anthony Davis and one valuable draft pick? Impossible. 

The news was so incredulous and so incomprehensible that everyone assumed the messenger (Shams Charania) had been hacked.  

Sports fans in Dallas are gutted. The Lakers have their next superstar in place. LeBron James might get another run at a championship, after all. The characters in this drama are like heroin for the hot-take shows, and this story will overshadow the Super Bowl in the coming days. 

The trade guarantees that Jimmy Butler will not be the biggest meteor to hit the NBA at the upcoming trade deadline. It guarantees that selecting DeAndre Ayton will no longer be the worst move in history involving Luka Doncic. And it underscores one of the biggest issues currently facing NBA Commissioner Adam Silver: transient superstars and player empowerment run amok. 

Publicly, the Mavericks say they want better defense. Privately, there are whispers about Luka’s lifestyle and training habits. Others say they were terrified Luka was going to demand a trade in the offseason. The details may be irrelevant, but the chaos is very real. The Western Conference is now careening toward conclusion. 

This is also very personal to basketball fans in the Valley. It’s not about getting Luka. It’s about getting lucky. And that’s the defining characteristic of the loathed Lakers.  

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar forced his way to the Lakers because he had outgrown Milwaukee. That would’ve never happened if the Suns hadn’t lost a coin flip for his services in 1968. Abdul-Jabbar has said on many occasions that he would’ve loved to play in Arizona. Instead, he went to our rival. 

The Lakers once traded an aging Gail Goodrich for a draft pick that became Magic Johnson. They stole Shaq from the Magic. They turned a lopsided trade into a draft pick that became James Worthy. They acquired Chris Paul in a trade so one-sidedly absurd that David Stern used his commissioner powers to veto the trade. They got LeBron, which brought A.D., who was traded for Luka in one of the most stunning developments imaginable. 

Welcome to L.A., home of the luckiest franchise in the history of sports. 

Reach Bickley at dbickley@arizonasports.com. Listen to Bickley & Marotta weekdays from 6 a.m. – 10 a.m. on Arizona Sports 98.7.

Dan Bickley

Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic drives against Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) duri...

Dan Bickley

Luka Doncic trade proves again the Lakers are the luckiest franchise in sports history

The blockbuster Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade is not about the Lakers getting Luka. It’s about the Lakers getting lucky.

6 days ago

Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia introduces the new Ring of Honor during the NBA game against the Utah...

Dan Bickley

Suns fans can both love a Jimmy Butler trade and hate everything it represents

I want Jimmy Butler with the Phoenix Suns. But I hate everything this trade saga represents.

10 days ago

Head coach Mike Budenholzer of the Phoenix Suns watches the action during the first half against th...

Dan Bickley

Trade rumors provide both hope and harm for these Suns

The Suns are a .500 team. Mediocrity isn’t supposed to be this difficult. Or expensive. Changes are coming despite a three-game win streak.

25 days ago

Kyler Murray Cardinals Rams embracing Trey McBride after first touchdown...

Dan Bickley

Kyler Murray has one last dance with Cardinals after season of close calls

There are no better options for the Cardinals than Kyler Murray in 2025. The quarterback has one last dance in the Valley. For better or worse.

1 month ago

Kyler Murray #1 of the Arizona Cardinals runs the ball against D.J. Wonnum #98 of the Carolina Pant...

Dan Bickley

Shame on the Cardinals for being eliminated from the playoffs in the worst of ways

The Cardinals fumbled around and found out and were eliminated from playoff contention after an embarrassing loss in Carolina on Sunday.

2 months ago

Cam Skattebo Big 12 Championship ASU football...

Dan Bickley

We are witnessing an all-time Cinderella story with ASU football headed to College Football Playoff

An ominous beginning at the Big 12 championship was nothing but a speed bump. Cyclones? At this point, there is no force of nature strong enough to derail ASU football.

2 months ago

Luka Doncic trade proves again the Lakers are the luckiest franchise in sports history