United States President Donald Trump can be added to the list of people who didn’t understand the Dallas Mavericks‘ decision to trade star guard Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in February of 2025.
The Mavericks infamously traded Doncic to L.A. for an underwhelming return of Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round draft pick. The trade seemed extremely one-sided at the time, at it has aged very poorly, as Davis has already been moved to the Washington Wizards.
Donald Trump Says Luka Doncic Trade ‘Might Go Down As The Worst Trade In The History of Sports’
The Doncic deal is old news at this point, but President Trump finally offered his opinion of the move during a speech at a midterm convention, which took place at American Airlines Center in Dallas. While acknowledging his own limited basketball knowledge, President Trump made a bold claim regarding where the move stands on the pantheon of bad trades in sports history.
“This is a big Dallas Mavericks team, which is going to be hopefully good. I must tell you, I don’t understand the trade,” Trump said. “That trade is not — what do I know about basketball? I would say it’s not going to go down as the greatest trade in the history of sports. It might go down as the worst trade in the history of sports. Babe [Ruth] will always be the worst trade. But, is it Luka?”
The president jokingly suggested that the Mavs should get a redo on the deal.
“Maybe we could redo that trade. I redo deals all the time,” Trump said. “We gotta redo that deal. I don’t get that deal. Some deals you understand; I understand deals. But that one I didn’t quite get.”
Mavericks fans wish it worked that way, as the vast majority of them would welcome Doncic back with open arms. Unfortunately, it doesn’t, so the possibility of Doncic returning to Dallas anytime soon is slim.
Cooper Flagg Provides Mavericks Fans With Reason for Optimism
At least Mavs fans have reigning Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg to be excited about. So, it’s not all doom-and-gloom in Big D. The Mavericks selected Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 draft, and he lived up to any and all expectations.
The multi-faceted forward averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game as a rookie. He’ll look to improve upon those numbers in his second season.
Donald Trump Blasts Dallas Mavericks For Confounding Luka Doncic Trade