ESPN ranks Luka Doncic trade as the biggest team building disaster

I’m sure this is all part of Nico Harrison’s vision, too

It’s been a few days, maybe even weeks, since the Luka Doncic trade has been in the headlines. Naturally, that means it’s time for someone to fire up the still-beaten-down Dallas Mavericks fans. Well, have no fear, as ESPN is here to ensure that you are still aware that Luka Doncic is no longer on your favorite team.

As part of their summer programming on their website, ESPN has been going league by league, determining every team’s largest team building mistake this decade. This week, it’s the NBA’s turn. You can read their full rankings here, as there are some pretty gnarly ones in there. But naturally, sitting there at number one on the list, is the trade of Luka Doncic from the Mavs to the Los Angeles Lakers. ESPN’s analysis included this.

“Could any other transaction be No. 1? The most recent entry on this list is also the worst, and perhaps the most shocking, transaction in NBA history.

“The other trades at the top of this list are mostly about teams trading too many assets to bring in a star. The Doncic deal, conversely, came when a team traded away a beloved incumbent star who had led that organization to the Finals the previous summer and made a record five first-team All-NBA appearances through age 24.”

Photo by David Berding/Getty Images

Because the Mavericks fell into Cooper Flagg in an NBA Lottery that many folks deemed to be rigged, there is a chance that all could end up relatively well here. Even if it takes a few seasons while Nico and the boys try to build a contender around some paper mâché superstars, the future of a team that can be built around a guy like Cooper Flagg is bright, and the Mavericks will soon rightly begin to feel the pressure of building around him.

Even with that, it’s hard for a not insignificant portion of fans to ever be able to love the team the same way. ESPN finishes off their dialogue by talking about the shock of it all, and how it is going to last a lifetime.

“But only one transaction this century was so surprising that it sparked questions about whether ESPN’s Shams Charania’s social media account been hacked when he reported it. Only one transaction was so absurd that it became a flashbulb memory, and fans across the world will remember, for decades to come, where they were when they learned the news. Only one transaction, most of all, was so outrageous that it sparked a mass revolt from its fan base.

“That, more than anything else, is why the Doncic trade ranks No. 1: It transcended typical transaction reactions and penetrated the very heart of sports fandom. That takes a special sort of once-in-a-century mistake.”

Maybe ESPN should’ve given Nico Harrison an ESPY for this transaction. They could’ve named it the ‘Defense Wins the 9/10 Seed Play-In Game’ award. Or the ‘Those Two Quarters Against The Houston Rockets in February Sure Were Fun’ award. After all, Nico should be screaming from the rooftops how excited he is about that proof of concept!

But alas, the only award Nico got was this one. How his move was the single worst team building mistake made this decade, this century, and maybe of all time in the NBA. But hey, chin up, Nico. You still have had a better day than D’Angelo Russell.