After a seemingly catastrophic blunder by the Dallas Mavericks to anger their fans by trading away Luka Doncic, acquiring Kevin Durant could save them.

Besides, Dallas just made it to the Finals last year largely on the strength of its defense. From the P.J. Washington trade to the end of the 2023-24 campaign, the Mavericks were seventh in points allowed per 100 possessions. In the playoffs, the Thunder and Celtics were the only teams that made it past the first round and had better defenses.

As a refresher, the Mavericks only received Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick for a then 25-year-old five-time First-Team All-NBA selection, while players like Mikal Bridges have gone for five first-round picks. But there is one specific trade asset that the Mavericks didn't receive that Windhorst calls "malpractice."

Emotions flowed freely for the 26-year-old superstar, and with his Lakers teammates by his side, he got what he needed: closure.

Most of the time in the modern NBA, when a star returns to his previous arena, he faces a hostile crowd because he chose to leave. That wasn't the case for Luka Dončić. By all accounts, the five-time All-NBA point guard planned to sign a super max extension with the Dallas Mavericks this offseason.

Los Angeles Lakers superstar guard Luka Dončić produced a masterful performance Wednesday night in his highy-anticipated Dallas homecoming after being traded in the stunning February blockbuster deal.

After the Dončić trade went down, it became clear that Cuban didn't hold the same power he had wielded for two decades in Dallas.

Yet the Lakers just so happen to also have one of the greatest players of all time in James, and the King took over in the fourth quarter. James gave the Lakers the lead again for

Before the game, Mavs coach Jason Kidd said some had compared the trading of Dončić to “Babe Ruth, which is kind of cool.”