ESPN analyst Brian Windhorst on Monday roasted the Dallas Mavericks over one key aspect about the Luka Doncic trade.
The Mavericks’ decision to trade Doncic has been unanimously slammed by fans and media members alike ever since it was reported in early February. Nothing about that has changed, as Mavericks fans have been calling for GM Nico Harrison’s firing ever since.
On Wednesday, the Lakers are set to pay their first visit to Dallas since the trade was made. The looming matchup was a topic of discussion during Monday’s episode of “First Take.”
Windhorst appeared on the show and called out the Mavericks for not forcing the Lakers to include breakout star Austin Reaves in the package they acquired for Doncic.
“I know we’re all going to focus on Luka, as we should,” said Windhorst. “But the Mavericks not getting Austin Reaves in that trade is malpractice! … Austin Reaves has been awesome in this last month, especially in these last couple of weeks when LeBron hasn’t been great. The fact that the Mavericks didn’t get Austin Reaves in that trade remains insane, and Reaves is just proving it night in and night out.”
Brian Windhorst goes off on Nico Harrison and the Dallas Mavericks
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 7, 2025
“Mavericks not getting Austin Reaves in that trade is MALPRACTICE.”
(🎥 @FirstTake / h/t @LakeShowScoop )
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The Lakers did all they could not to include Reaves in the deal. But it’s hard to imagine that Lakers GM Rob Pelinka would have refused a trade for Doncic had Reaves’ inclusion been the dealbreaker on Dallas’ end.
The Mavericks were deservedly criticized for not shopping Doncic to get a better package from teams across the league. But they weren’t even able to extract the most value from the only team they negotiated with despite holding a blue-chip asset in Doncic.
Reaves has quietly turned into a star in his own right this season. Through 70 games played, Reaves has averaged 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.8 assists as the clear third option next to Doncic and LeBron James.
