Mavs GM Explains Luka, Anthony Davis, Lakers Trade: 'Defense Wins Championships'

The Dallas Mavericks made the shocking decision to trade Luka Dončić on Saturday, and general manager Nico Harrison said it was for defensive reasons.

ESPN's Shams Charania broke news of the stunning trade, noting the Mavericks ended up with Anthony Davis, Max Christie and the Los Angeles Lakers' 2029 first-round pick in the three-team deal. Los Angeles landed Dončić, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris, while the Utah Jazz got Jalen Hood-Schifino and 2025 second-rounders from the Mavericks and L.A. Clippers.

"I believe that defense wins championships," Harrison said of ending up with Davis, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon. "I believe that getting an All-Defensive center and an All-NBA player with a defensive mindset gives us a better chance. We're built to win now and in the future."

The general manager also provided more insight to the team's thought process and told Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News, "I understand why they would be shocked, initially. But I do believe that we positioned ourselves to win now and also win in the future.

"And that's ultimately the goal and why we're here. It's one of those things where it's my job to make the tough decisions that put our goals first and foremost."

Harrison and the Mavericks are not wrong about Davis being a better defensive player than Dončić.

After all, the big man is a five-time All-Defensive selection who has led the league in blocks per game three times during his career. His ability to play dominant interior defense and protect the rim is one reason he is a surefire future Hall of Famer.

As for Dončić, he doesn't have the defensive accolades that Davis does and has a reputation of struggling on that side of the floor. Yet opponents have shot 0.7 percent worse than their normal averages from the field when he guards them this season, per NBA.com, so he is far from a complete liability on defense.

Even if the front office was focused on defense, this is still a stunning move from Dallas' perspective.

Dončić is just 25 years old and was presumably going to be the face of the franchise for the foreseeable future. This is the same organization that kept Dirk Nowitzki his entire career, and Dončić seemed like a candidate to follow in the all-time great's footsteps.

Nowitzki himself seemed quite surprised when news of the trade broke:

Yet the Mavericks decided to go a different direction before they were on the books for a five-year, $345 million supermax extension for the former face of their franchise. ESPN's Tim MacMahon also reported the team was concerned with Dončić's conditioning and its impact on his overall health, which seemed to have also played a factor.

"We really feel like we got ahead of what was going to be a tumultuous summer, him being eligible for the supermax and also a year away from him being able to opt out of any contract," Harrison said, per Townsend. "And so we really felt like we got out in front of that. We know teams, they've had it out there, teams have been loading up to try to sign him once that comes available."

It's also not as if the Mavericks didn't get an impact player back in return.

Davis can anchor their interior defense during a Western Conference playoff run that could include matchups against Chet Holmgren, Nikola Jokić, Alperen Şengün and Jaren Jackson Jr., among others.

If defense truly does win championships, the Mavericks might be in position to make a second straight run at the NBA Finals.