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The Dallas Mavericks did the unthinkable overnight by trading Luka Dončić.
It's perhaps the most stunning trade in NBA, and maybe sports, history – there had been no rumors about this at all, and Dončić is still just 25 years old and a perennial MVP candidate.
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So, why would the Mavs move on from him? Especially after an NBA Finals appearance.
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Well, general manager Nico Harrison admitted shortly after making the trade that he was concerned about the team's defense, a bugaboo of Dončić's. Trading for Anthony Davis surely helps in that area.
But Dončić is – well, was – a franchise cornerstone.
"I understand why [fans] would be shocked, initially," Harrison told the Dallas Morning News.
"But I do believe that we positioned ourselves to win now and also win in the future. And that’s ultimately the goal and why we’re here. It’s one of those things where it’s my job to make the tough decisions that put our goals first and foremost."
Aside from the defense though, Dončić would have been in quite a contract battle with the Mavs. His $207 million extension is set to expire this year, and he was due for a supermax that was worth over $340 million. Plus, he was soon able to opt out of any other deals. So, Harrison wanted security.
"We really feel like we got ahead of what was going to be a tumultuous summer, him being eligible for the supermax and also a year away from him being able to opt out of any contract," Harrison said. "And so we really felt like we got out in front of that. We know teams, they’ve had it out there, teams have been loading up to try to sign him once that comes available."
And with the speculation that the Mavs were upset with Doncic's conditioning, it appears the stars aligned for Dallas to move on from him.
The Lakers received Dončić, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris, while the Mavericks took on Davis, Max Christie and Los Angeles' 2029 first-round pick. To settle it all out, the Utah Jazz acquired Jalen Hood-Schifino and two second-round picks.
The Slovenian led the NBA with 33.4 points per game last season and won't turn 26 until later this month. In his career, he averages 28.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 8.3 assists, putting himself in the MVP conversation every year of his young career.
Meanwhile, Davis finished in fourth place in the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year voting last year, and is averaging over 25 points and 12 rebounds this season.
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While most were sleeping, the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers pulled off a stunning blockbuster that led to Luka Dončić and Anthony Davis swapping teams.
The deal is perhaps one of the most star-studded ever, as it's the first time in NBA history two reigning All-NBA players were traded midseason.
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There are lots of questions that need to be answered, primarily on the Dallas side of things, as it's shocking a team would trade a 25-year-old MVP candidate with global starpower fresh off an NBA Finals appearance.
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However, one report from CBS Sports said LeBron James "had grown frustrated" with Davis, who is averaging over 25 points and a dozen rebounds while playing elite defense.
James' Lakers defeated the Knicks shortly before the trade broke, but James has not spoken to reporters about the move yet (Davis was inactive), but James did see the report on X, and broke his silence matter of factly.
"You a [f---ing] lie," James wrote on X, adding Pinocchio and clown emojis.
James is said to have found out about the trade shortly before the news broke on X while he was out to dinner with his family following L.A.'s victory. It's being reported that the Mavs only reached out to the Lakers, and would only acquire Davis if it meant moving Dončić. Other than the organizations facilitating the trade, it's said that no one else knew what was going on behind the scenes.
The Lakers received Dončić, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris, while the Mavericks took on Davis, Max Christie and Los Angeles' 2029 first-round pick. To settle it all out, the Utah Jazz acquired Jalen Hood-Schifino and two second-round picks.
The Slovenian led the NBA with 33.4 points per game last season and won't turn 26 until later this month. In his career, he averages 28.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 8.3 assists, putting himself in the MVP conversation every year of his young career.
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The National Football League appears to be headed to its fourth continent.
According to a report by the Herald Sun in Australia, the league will play games in Melbourne beginning in 2026.
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The Australian outlet reported that up to three games would be played, with the first at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), which will feature two teams with recent success.
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One of the games will feature the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams, the Herald Sun says.
The Birds are back in the Super Bowl for the second time in three years after having won it in 2018, while the Rams took home the title three years ago.
The Eagles and Rams are the only two teams that are a part of the NFL's Global Markets Program in Australia, which was made to build fandom and support outside the United States.
The MCG holds roughly 100,000 people.
It wouldn't be the first time the NFL toyed with Australia, as the Denver Broncos and then-San Diego Chargers played a preseason game there in 1999.
FAMED NFL COACH TONY DUNGY SHUTS DOWN SPECULATION THAT HE WAS CONSIDERING SENATE RUN
The Eagles were featured in the NFL's first game in South America at the beginning of the season, with their Week 1 matchup against the Green Bay Packers in Brazil.
The outlet said the Victorian government and the NFL "have been in secret talks for months."
Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata was born in Australia. He was a star rugby player who never played football in high school or college.
The league will play in Spain for the first time later this year, with the Miami Dolphins' opponent to be determined. Games have been played in London, Mexico and Germany. The first official overseas game in 2007 featured the Dolphins and New York Giants.
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Sunday morning's Luka Dončić-Anthony Davis swap is being widely regarded as the most shocking and star-powered trade in sports history.
It's so big that it was believed that ESPN's Shams Charania, who broke the story, was hacked, and other reporters reached out to him to make sure his X account was secure.
But alas, the Dallas Mavericks decided to trade a 25-year-old MVP candidate just months after he carried them to an NBA Finals appearance in an attempt to improve their defense.
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The Mavs traded up to the third pick in the 2018 NBA Draft to select Dončić, whose $207 million extension from 2021 is set to expire this season. Being due for a super-max deal worth $345 million, it's apparent that it played a role in Dončić being moved five days before the NBA's trade deadline.
Kevin Durant has been traded before – it's slightly different, as he requested to be traded from the Brooklyn Nets to the Phoenix Suns (he also left the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Golden State Warriors, and them jumped ship to Brooklyn). But Durant called out NBA teams for their lack of loyalty to their stars, while it's expected that players be loyal to them -
"Players are held to a different standard of loyalty and commitment to a program, but the organizations don't get held to that same standard from the outside world, the media members, the fans. We all should be held to that same standard," Durant said upon hearing the news.
2024-25 NBA CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS: THUNDER FAVORED; LAKERS RISE AFTER DONČIĆ TRADE
"It's a transactional game. There's a lot of money involved, a lot of business involved. We shouldn't be too shocked about trades and guys moving to different teams, coaches moving to different teams. It's just the nature of playing basketball and us making this much money, too. It's a pretty wild time, especially around trade deadline."
After this megadeal, Durant says the stove could be hot in the NBA.
"You start seeing stuff like that, as an organization, you might get a little more courage to do some stuff. You see another team trade away somebody like that. This got to be the biggest trade I've seen since I've been in the league or since I've been watching the sport. This is insane. So yeah, every other team might get confidence and say f--- it, I'll trade a few of my top players if this ain't working."
It's the first time in NBA history two reigning All-NBA players were traded for one another midseason.
The Lakers received Dončić, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris, while the Mavericks took on Davis, Max Christie and Los Angeles' 2029 first-round pick. To settle it all out, the Utah Jazz acquired Jalen Hood-Schifino and two second-round picks.
The Slovenian led the NBA with 33.4 points per game last season and won't turn 26 until later this month. In his career, he averages 28.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 8.3 assists, putting himself in the MVP conversation every year of his young career.
Davis, a defensive player of the year candidate last year, is putting up 25.7 points and 11.9 rebounds this season, both slightly better than his career averages of 24.2 and 10.7.
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Last April, John Calipari decided to "step away" from the University of Kentucky after 15 seasons; a day later, he joined the University of Arkansas.
Well, Calipari returned to Kentucky on Saturday night, and despite a championship in 2012 and a .771 winning percentage there, boos still managed to be loud as he returned.
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Well, Calipari got the last laugh, as his Razorbacks took home an 89-79 upset victory over the 12th-ranked team in the country.
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Calipari admitted that it took some getting used to.
"It’s hard to win in here. And I’ve got to be honest with you, I looked up a couple of times and I thought we were losing because I kept looking at Kentucky instead of Arkansas," Calipari said. "I made it clear it was a privilege and an honor to coach here. We had 15 unbelievable years of a great run and support."
With Kentucky, Calipari made the NCAA Tournament all but two seasons. Last year's team was knocked out in the first round as a No. 3 seed against Jack Gohlke and No. 14 Oakland. In 2022, the Wildcats were upset by No. 15 St. Peter's, and they lost in the Round of 32 in 2023.
Calipari went 410-122 (.771) with the Wildcats – this year's Arkansas team is now 13-8 but 2-6 in conference.
The Hall of Fame coach is the winningest active coach in men’s college basketball and has an 867-271 mark during his stops at Massachusetts, Memphis, Kentucky and now Arkansas. He was 248-26 at Rupp Arena and led the Wildcats to a 93-77 win over Vanderbilt in his last home game at Kentucky last March 6.
It wasn't just a return for Calipari. Adou Thiero, D.J. Wagner, and Zvonimir Ivisic combined to score 42 points against their former team in Lexington en route to the win.
With Arkansas leading 46-45 at the half, Thiero and Wagner combined for a 12-2 run and a 58-47 lead to start the second half. Thiero opened with a dunk and ended the run with a three, and the Razorbacks never looked back.
Fox News' Paulina Dedaj and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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The NBA world was hit with perhaps the craziest trade in a generation in the wee hours of Sunday morning.
According to multiple reports, the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks came to an agreement to swap Luka Dončić and Anthony Davis as part of a three-team blockbuster deal.
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The Lakers received Dončić, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris, while the Mavericks took on Davis, Max Christie and Los Angeles' 2029 first-round pick.
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To settle it all out, the Utah Jazz acquired Jalen Hood-Schifino and two second-round picks.
ESPN's Shams Charania broke the trade early Sunday morning, and because of the star power involved, the immediate reaction was that the reporter had been hacked. However, it was later confirmed by multiple other outlets.
Charania reported that the Mavs approached Los Angeles recently, saying their 25-year-old global superstar was available via trade; Dallas general manager Nico Harrison told ESPN that he was concerned about the team's defense, which is now massively improved by replacing Dončić with Davis.
2024-25 NBA CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS: THUNDER FAVORED; LAKERS RISE AFTER DONČIĆ TRADE
But Dončić is a phenomenon, and a young one at that. The Slovenian led the NBA with 33.4 points per game last season and won't turn 26 until later this month. In his career, he averages 28.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 8.3 assists, putting himself in the MVP conversation every year of his young career.
It was also reported that LeBron James did not find out about the trade until shortly before the news broke, while he was out to dinner in New York shortly after his Lakers defeated the New York Knicks. Davis was ruled inactive for the game.
Davis, a defensive player of the year candidate last year, is putting up 25.7 points and 11.9 rebounds this season, both slightly better than his career averages of 24.2 and 10.7.
The Mavericks lost in the NBA Finals last year, and Dončić received some criticism for his defense and attitude. Perhaps there is more to the story than what's public right now.
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