Lakers' failed Mark Williams trade makes Mavericks' Luka Doncic disaster even uglier

Two weekends ago, the Dallas Mavericks sent shockwaves through the NBA as they traded Luka Doncic, Markieff Morris, and Maxi Kleber to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a first-round pick. No one could believe that the Mavericks would consider trading Doncic at this phase of his career, and Mavs fans have been heartbroken over the last week or so.

These fans may never forgive the Mavericks for giving up on Doncic, and the fan base made their voices heard on Saturday afternoon before Dallas' game against the Houston Rockets as they held a protest in PNC Plaza near Dirk Nowtizki's statue about this trade. Fans can't make sense of why the team traded Doncic, and what is even more confusing is how small of a return they received.

Only landing one first-round pick for a generational superstar is unfathomable, and while both Davis and Christie have proved they can make major impacts for Dallas, even another role player would have been nice to help fill the void left in Mavericks fans' hearts by Doncic being traded so suddenly.

Mavericks' return for Doncic looks even worse after Lakers' next move

Dalton Knecht and another first-round pick were rumored to be a part of Rob Pelinka and Nico Harrison's talks, but Pelinka was able to work the deal down to be just Davis, Christie, and one first-round pick. Knecht and an extra first-round pick would have made a significant difference when considering Dallas' return package, and after seeing the Mark Williams trade the Lakers pulled off, Dallas' share in the trade looks even worse.

The Lakers traded Knecht, Cam Reddish, a first-round pick, and a pick swap to the Charlotte Hornets for Williams, and while this trade was rescinded due to an issue with Williams' physical, it shows that the Lakers were willing to give up both of those assets (Knecht and the 2031 first-round pick).

Dallas could have pressed hard for Pelinka to give up both of these assets considering the Mavericks were giving the Lakers a one-of-one generational superstar, but they settled for a lackluster trade package, which could end up compromising their future.

Dallas is not rich when it comes to draft capital, and while they have several great young players such as Christie, Dereck Lively II, P.J. Washington, and Daniel Gafford, they got much older at the trade deadline. They traded away both Doncic (25) and Quentin Grimes (24), two of their youngest players, at the trade deadline, and landing Knecht would have given them another young piece to add to the core who could also play real minutes right away.

This season for the Lakers, Knecht is averaging 9.4 points and 3.1 rebounds per game while shooting 46.5 percent from the field and 35.8 percent from downtown. His success and role within the Lakers rotation have highly depended on whether he is knocking down shots or not early on, and his hot shooting even led him to a 37-point game earlier in the season and he has had five games of scoring 20 or more points. Knecht's knockdown 3-point shooting would have given the Mavericks' bench a major boost, and at the very least, he should have been part of the trade along with another first-round pick.

Now Knecht is playing for the Lakers again knowing that they were willing to trade him (as they did in the Williams deal), and he could have likely been on the Mavericks if Harrison pushed harder when it comes to the rumored trade package that included Knecht and an extra first-round pick.

With how tight Pelinka and Harrison kept conversations regarding the Davis-Doncic trade, no one actually knows if Knecht and the 2031 first-round pick were included in talks, but considering that Pelinka sent them to Charlotte as part of the agreed-upon deal for Williams, the Mavericks could have been more aggressive to acquire these assets as a Doncic trade deserves the biggest return package possible.

Even a return of Knecht, Davis, Christie, and two first-round picks wouldn't have been enough to win Mavericks fans over, but it would have made a difference. Dallas settled in this trade for Doncic, and the Lakers' trade for Williams shows that even more.