MAVS NEWS:

[F Gump]

I am shocked you haven’t had more words regarding the Mavs trading the best player this franchise has ever seen since Dirk.

What's to say? I'm shocked. Who isn't?

My knee-jerk is that you don't give up a top-5 NBA player in his prime, if he isn't asking out. Those guys are too rare, too hard to find, too hard to get even if you recognize one.

My brief thoughts, on further reflection:
1  Luka has been great. He's a star in every sense of the word. He sells tickets. From a marketing pov, this was really bad. No telling what Luka might do next. He can do anything!
2  Yet as much as we revere him, Luka also has huge issues, which are glaringly obvious and have been debated at length in this forum. While I loved the show, I had a long list of things I loathed about his game. Does he want to be a showman, and want stats and acclaim, more than working on being the best ball player he can be who makes the whole team better? Were his issues even bigger in the Mavs eyes (with more info than we have)? Were they going to be insurmountable in building a TITLE team? I dunno on any of that, but I have the questions. I had hoped they would all go away (but recently found myself wondering if Luka's window to be MVP had honestly already closed, so there's that).
3  We all recognize that Luka, if he worked seriously on his conditioning and his shooting (FTs, 3s), could be the best player ever, because of his size to be so skilled. He started at such a high level, entering the NBA. That's the appeal. We all saw it. He had a huge head start to build on. But it's also a tease when you see that potential over and over, and then nothing ever changes. We're now in year 7, and the years are wasting away, and he's much the same player in those areas as he started. I think his injuries this season were worrisome on a bigger level (and ps, I have wondered if he will truly be back soon, as we want to assume.)
4  I wonder if we are underestimating Davis in the equation. The Mavs seem to think he can be more valuable in winning a title than Luka is. I readily admit I prefer titles more than a heliocentric show. Davis is All-NBA, and an All-NBA defender too, so maybe there's a chance this is a plus trade?
5  The question on losing Luka isn't what Luka could do, but rather what parts of his play can be replaced or even bettered, and only time will tell. MY GUESS is that the Mavs think that while they can't replace the show, they can find similar ball-handling and offense in a team concept, with maybe even better shooting. We'll see.
6  Nico in the PC alluded to concerns over the next contract with Luka. I'm not saying this is the case, but if Luka was showing signs of feeling "I'm bigger than the team" and not willing to work hard on his craft, conditioning, etc, maybe Nico was seeing huge red flags and averting a looming disaster ahead. As good as Luka is, a team concept is the much better path to winning.
7  The trade itself was horrendous negotiating, in not getting the other LA 1st rounder. It just was.