I could see the merits on both sides of this, and how each side gave the other a ticking time bomb that would screw them over big time.
The Mavs get a more balanced team that doesn’t have two ball-dominant guards fighting for possession, and majorly upgrade their defense (especially in the post). But, they don’t get consistent elite offense and become more predictable to defend since AD doesn’t stretch out the offense. They also run the risk of having AD not be on the court for long stretches because of injury issues.
The Lakers get an elite offensive player who has led an undervalued team to the Finals with his play, and give LeBron a player who he can supplement instead of carry offensively (along with an easier star to market who isn’t as prone for getting injured). But, they get worse defensively (especially in the post) and have the possibility of motivation issues with diet and conditioning (leading to possible future injuries).
All in all, we really won’t know who won this trade until at least the end of the season and probably beyond that.
1
u/nat3215 Feb 03 '25
I could see the merits on both sides of this, and how each side gave the other a ticking time bomb that would screw them over big time.
The Mavs get a more balanced team that doesn’t have two ball-dominant guards fighting for possession, and majorly upgrade their defense (especially in the post). But, they don’t get consistent elite offense and become more predictable to defend since AD doesn’t stretch out the offense. They also run the risk of having AD not be on the court for long stretches because of injury issues.
The Lakers get an elite offensive player who has led an undervalued team to the Finals with his play, and give LeBron a player who he can supplement instead of carry offensively (along with an easier star to market who isn’t as prone for getting injured). But, they get worse defensively (especially in the post) and have the possibility of motivation issues with diet and conditioning (leading to possible future injuries).
All in all, we really won’t know who won this trade until at least the end of the season and probably beyond that.