Reaction to the Luka Dončić trade and how it will affect fantasy basketball going forward

The latest trade that has been all over the news lately: The Dallas Mavericks trade Luka Dončić, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and the Lakers 2029 first-round pick. The Jazz also received Jalen Hood-Schifino and two second-round picks. Now we think what everyone else is thinking. WHAT WERE THE MAVERICKS DOING?? In the rest of this article we are going to briefly touch on the delusion of the Mavericks, as well as how this will affect fantasy basketball for the rest of the season.

The Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison said that, "I believe that defense wins championships, I believe that getting an All-Defensive center and an All-NBA player with a defensive mindset gives us a better chance. We're built to win now and in the future." He says this as if Luka Dončić is just a role player, or even just a regular star. But, he's one of the best five players in the world and even if he is just a below average defender, he might be the best offensive player in the league behind Jokic. I am just in disbelief with why the Mavericks would make this trade.

Luka Dončić has missed all of January with a calf injury, but he is likely to return before the All-Star break. When he has played, he is averaging 28/8/8 while shooting 46% from the field and 35% from three. He is averaging the fifth most points on fantasy basketball just behind Jokic, Shai, Wemby and Giannis. Expect Dončić's stats to go up because of him now playing with Lebron James and just an overall better supporting cast for his stats.

Anthony Davis stats will skyrocket with the Mavericks. His current stats are him averaging 26/12/3 with a steal and two blocks per game. He is right behind Luka on fantasy basketball averages and sits sixth on the list. Unlike Dončić, Davis has not been injury prone this year and has almost double Dončić's fantasy points. With the Mavericks, expect Davis to increase about 3-4 points and 2-3 assists, which would give him an extra 8-10 points per game. That may not seem like much, but if he plays five games a week that could give you the win in a week.