The Dallas Mavericks made one of the most controversial moves in professional sports history.
Just months removed from making the NBA Finals, they traded their 25-year-old superstar.
As good a player as Anthony Davis is, he’s never been durable, and he’s six years older than Doncic.
Nonetheless, Stephen A. Smith believes that landing him will put the Mavericks over the top.
Talking on ESPN’s “Get Up,” he went as far as to say that he now had the Mavericks as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
"I got Dallas as the number one seed in the Western Conference right now."
—@stephenasmith ? pic.twitter.com/dwZX3f6Skw
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) February 3, 2025
He argued that they’ve dominated the Oklahoma City Thunder, and now that they have Davis and kept Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford, they will be too big of a matchup.
Of course, that makes sense to a degree.
Then again, the Mavericks are 13.5 games behind the Thunder right now.
They have a record of 26-24 this season, and as much as Smith appreciates Kyrie Irving leading the team, and despite Irving being a great player, they have struggled with consistency because Doncic has missed several games this season.
Irving isn’t a pass-first player, and the Mavs’ shot creation takes a big dip without Doncic running the point.
The Mavs are in the No. 9 spot and just two games above the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings.
The San Antonio Spurs also got much better by adding De’Aaron Fox, and they’re also in the mix for a postseason berth.
The Mavs might want to get out of the Play-In Tournament before thinking of potentially making it back to the NBA Finals.
NEXT: Luka Doncic's Dad Admits That He's Hurt By Trade
