Mavericks narrowly dodged a bullet no one saw coming in Luka Doncic trade

On February 1, the NBA world was flipped on its head when it was announced that the Dallas Mavericks would be trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in what has become known as one of the worst sports trades of all time. While the Doncic deal went down over five months ago, the trade is still being talked about at large as the league enters the depths of the offseason.

Fans may truly never know the full reason Doncic was suddenly dealt to the Lakers after all indications pointed to Doncic being a Maverick for life; however, as fans once again dissect the trade, it's hard not to see that the team dodged a huge bullet in their return for the Slovenian superstar.

When it was announced that Doncic was being sent to Los Angeles, the initial trade package was what caught fans off guard, as the Mavericks failed to get more than one future first-round pick, and they also failed to acquire Dalton Knecht, who was the Lakers' first-round selection that season. By all accounts, Doncic was worth at least multiple first-round picks or a few rotational players on top of Davis, but it's clear the Mavericks dodged a massive bullet by not getting Knecht.

Mavs avoided a future headache by not getting Knecht in Doncic trade

For decades, the initial trade package the Mavericks got for Doncic will be debated, but after the Lakers' Summer League, it's clear that Knecht isn't the player fans thought he would be. After starting his rookie season off hot, many expected Knecht to be one of the few rookies of his draft class to be an effective rotational player by the end of his rookie season.

While Knecht's productivity throughout the first few months of the season would drop, Mavericks fans were appalled that they couldn't get Knecht thrown into a trade package of Doncic's magnitude. By that point in the season, Knecht was viewed as an additional first-round pick on top of the future 2029 first-round pick that Dallas received; however, after Summer League, it's clear the Mavericks' missing out on Knecht has worked out in their favor.

From his first appearance in Summer League, it was clear Knecht was a step behind after an awful shooting performance. While the Lakers need Knecht to be a reliable 3-point shooter and average defensive player, his play throughout the Summer League indicated that he may not be the sharpshooter they envisioned around Doncic.

Shortly after the Doncic trade was announced, the Lakers shockingly traded for Charlotte Hornets big man Mark Williams, where Knecht was a sweetener in that trade package. Eventually, the trade for Williams would be rescinded, and every player involved in the deal would be sent back to their respective teams; however, after almost being traded to the Hornets, Knecht's productivity would drop off a cliff in the purple in gold.

Whether it's an accumulation of bad play on the court and not wanting to represent a team that almost traded you away, Knecht is now viewed as a negative asset around the league.

Knecht would have without a doubt filled one of Dallas' needs of perimeter shooting to space the floor, but after a shaky Summer League performance, it's clear the Mavericks won by avoiding a Knecht addition. He likely wouldn't have gotten minutes in Dallas, and he would have just been another mouth to feed in the rotation.

After being selected with the 17th overall pick by the Lakers, Knecht was already viewed as an older prospect, but he gave the team much-needed shooting off the bench. While Knecht still has the potential to be an all-around great shooter, his play throughout Summer League proved he may not have what it takes to be a rotational NBA player.

From bad shooting nights to failing to exceed expectations in his second Summer League stint, Laker fans have been begging the team to trade Knecht. While the Doncic trade will continue to amaze fans by how shocking the trade was and how little the Mavericks got in return, Nico Harrison and Mavs fans should be thankful they didn't take a gamble on Knecht.