The Athletic conducted a survey among more than 150 NBA players spanning all 30 teams to gather their opinions on the recent trade involving Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis.
One player expressed astonishment that Dallas ended up acquiring only Davis after parting ways with one of the league’s most promising young stars.
“I was in disbelief because if you’re trading a guy like Luka Dončić, you should receive a tremendous return,” he conveyed to The Athletic. “I mean, sure, Anthony Davis is undeniably a top-75 player, a perennial All-Star, and an All-NBA talent himself. But you’d expect several first-round picks attached to a deal like this, and that wasn’t the case, so something must be amiss.”
Another anonymous player acknowledged Davis’s talent but argued that Doncic is poised to dominate the league for many years, leading to confusion over the trade.
“I don’t get it,” he remarked. “I believe (Dončić) is probably the best player we’ll see in the league for the next 15 years. Perhaps there were factors we aren’t aware of, but I found it puzzling. At the same time, acquiring Anthony Davis is nothing to overlook. He’s a clear star in this league. So it’s superstar for superstar, but I still didn’t grasp the reasoning behind the trade.”
Another player candidly shared his take on the significant ramifications this trade has, and will continue to have, for the NBA.
“Terrible,” he stated. “Wow. What were they thinking? I honestly thought (the Mavs) would emerge from the West again a couple of months ago. This was a disaster, man. No matter how you spin it. To not receive what they should have is absurd. It messed up the league.”
Image Source: sportoakimirka / Shutterstock
