The Dallas Mavericks-Los Angeles Lakers trade that shook the NBA is still worth talking about. LA welcomed a new franchise player when they desperately needed one, and Dallas received Anthony Davis, a very injury-prone player. And unsurprisingly, tragedy has hit them again. The Mavericks are now paralyzed by injuries, prompting a Bulls announcer to bluntly call the jaw-dropping trade for what it is during the recent game.

“I thought the trade was a robbery,” the announcer said while his co-callers couldn’t stop laughing. “They didn’t even wear a mask. They just robbed them. Excuse me, would you please give me all the things and I will give you very little things. Thank you.”

Looking back at the trade now, it was terrible from several angles. First and foremost, which team would trade its best basketball player in a decade, who also happens to be loved by the entire city? Secondly, the trade happened in the shadows; no one outside the front offices was aware of it.

Renowned reporter Shams Charania also admitted that he initially thought his phone had been hacked when he received the news.

While the Lakers received Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris, the Mavericks received Davis, Max Christie, and the Lakers’ 2029 first-round pick.

After the trade, Nico Harrison, who no longer holds the GM position, told reporters, “defense wins championships,” and the Mavericks were secure for title contention, both currently and in the future.

Bizarrely, the Mavericks got one, just one, first-round draft pick alongside a perennially injured star and a developing player from the Lakers. Now that would sound crazy to so many people in a mock trade, let alone a real one.

Let’s put that into perspective a little. When the Brooklyn Nets traded Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks, they received Bojan Bogdanovic (now retired), Mamadi Diakite, and guard Shake Milton, five first-round draft picks, a first-round pick swap, and a second-round pick.

So, calling the Lakers-Mavericks trade saga a robbery doesn’t seem too surprising. The disastrous trade had already left the Mavericks’ future in doubt. But after Anthony Davis’ recent hand injury, everything is looking even bleaker for the team.

Anthony Davis’ 18th injury as a Maverick cuts short hopes of a trade

Harrison’s trade formula wasn’t as terrible as the practical side of things. He wasn’t wrong about defense winning championships, but he forgot to account for the chasm Doncic’s departure would leave in the Mavericks’ overall production.

The former GM didn’t fully consider Davis’ struggle with injuries, which have haunted them since the trade. On Thursday, he suffered ligament damage in his left hand, which jeopardized any future trade discussions that his team was hoping to initiate.

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Reports suggested that the Mavericks and Davis’ agent, Rich Paul, were looking for the best trade scenario for him. He’s due for a four-year, $275 million extension this offseason.

Davis will miss at least six weeks. If he requires surgery, he’d be out for months, which means that the February 5 deadline is dead, and given his injury history, teams would be unwilling to give him a long-term extension.

The Mavericks don’t have much left in the pipeline to bolster their roster in the next few years. Except for the 2026 first-round draft pick, all their future picks until 2030 are swapped and unprotected to other teams. In their best-case scenario, the 14-25 team finds a way to make it with a healthy Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg.