In a move that stunned the NBA world, the Dallas Mavericks traded away their franchise cornerstone, Luka Dončić, to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for superstar forward Anthony Davis. The trade has left fans, analysts, and players alike reeling — and now, Mavericks guard Spencer Dinwiddie is shedding light on how it felt from inside the locker room.
Speaking on the Club 520 Podcast with Jeff Teague, Dinwiddie recalled the moment he realized something big had happened. “I went to sleep early — we had a game against Cleveland the next day,” he said. “When I woke up, I had missed calls from other NBA players like Zach LaVine and DLo (D’Angelo Russell). That’s when I knew something was going on.”
The shock wasn’t just among fans. “Going into the season, you would’ve thought Luka was untouchable,” Dinwiddie said. “Like Wemby, Ant Edwards, Tatum — those types of guys.” Dončić had long been considered the future of the Mavericks, a potential franchise legend. His sudden departure left many stunned and questioning the direction of the team.
But while the trade was polarizing, Dinwiddie made it clear that disrespecting Anthony Davis is out of line. “We’ve got to stop acting like AD isn’t AD,” he said. “They’re acting like AD is a bum — that’s the crazy part. He’s probably one of the top-five power forwards of all time. He’s Top 75 for a reason.”
Dinwiddie acknowledged that both Dončić and Davis are elite talents, calling Luka “probably the best offensive player in the NBA right now” and placing Davis among the top two-way players in the league alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo. “It’s a tough position to be in,” he admitted, referring to the emotional weight of the trade.
Despite the controversy, Dinwiddie expressed optimism about what Davis brings to Dallas. He highlighted a recent game against the Houston Rockets as a glimpse of the potential. “That trio with PJ (Washington), AD, and Gaff (Daniel Gafford) — there was nowhere to go. That was exciting to see.”
In the end, Dinwiddie encouraged fans to keep an open mind. “You can feel how you feel about the trade — win, lose, better now, better for the future. But one thing we shouldn’t do is forget who Anthony Davis is.”
As the Mavericks look to redefine their identity post-Dončić, only time will tell if this blockbuster deal was a misstep — or the beginning of a new era in Dallas.
