Nico Harrison pulled off one of the most stunning trades in NBA history, sending beloved Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package including Anthony Davis and Max Christie. Almost immediately, everyone was shocked, with a lot of NBA historians calling it the most surprising trade in NBA history.

The Trail Blazers would likely want to make room to have more minutes for Donovan Clingan, who they recently selected early in the 2024 NBA Draft. For the Lakers, meanwhile, Ayton could have at least some tangible valuable as a player who has postseason experience and tremendous size on the inside.

A few weeks ago, a league executive told me to expect a relatively quiet trade deadline, one without a blockbuster deal. There were too many cap restrictions, more buyers than sellers on the market, and a general pessimism about deals getting done.