As the Dallas Mavericks prepared to host Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, marking Doncic’s first return to Dallas since the significant trade earlier in February, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd offered a somewhat unexpected reflection on the deal.
Kidd remarked that some had drawn comparisons between the Doncic trade and the infamous sale of Babe Ruth from the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees in 1919, a transaction that famously preceded the “Curse of the Bambino.” Kidd told reporters, “This is a business. It happens, right? Trades happen. This won’t be the last trade. Someone compared it to Babe Ruth, which is kinda cool.”
Jason Kidd Evokes The Sultan Of Swat For Los Angeles Lakers — Dallas Mavericks Luka Doncic Trade
However, the analogy, while perhaps intriguing to Kidd, carries a different implication when viewed from the perspective of the Mavericks. In this scenario, Dallas would seemingly represent the Red Sox, the team that parted ways with a generational talent and, at least in the immediate aftermath, did not receive a comparable return – Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a first-round pick – similar to how Boston received a relatively modest $100,000 for the player who would go on to help the Yankees win four World Series.
The historical context of the Ruth trade, where the Red Sox then endured an 86-year championship drought, inextricably linked to the decision to trade their star, adds a layer of potential concern for Mavericks fans.
Meanwhile, the Lakers, already a formidable team centered around LeBron James, entered Wednesday night’s contest as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, seemingly positioned to benefit significantly from the acquisition of a player of Doncic’s caliber, who has averaged an impressive 27.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.6 assists in his first 26 games with Los Angeles.
Despite facing some criticism regarding his conditioning following the trade, Doncic recently told the Los Angeles Times that such notions were disrespectful, stating, “I didn’t end up here by mistake. You know? I worked my ass off to be here. So it’s kinda, I would say disrespectful, just sad that people say that.”
In their first meeting since the trade, hosted by the Lakers on February 25th, Doncic had propelled his new team to victory with a dominant triple-double. As he returned to the arena he called home for over six years, playing in front of the fans who had witnessed his rise to stardom and his leadership in their NBA Finals run just last season, Doncic was visibly moved during a pre-game video tribute.