After the WNBA’s negotiating window opened on January 21, fans were already overwhelmed with blockbuster moves in the league. Just when they were looking forward to Saturday for official signings, the NBA dropped a bombshell mid-season, and now everyone’s attention is split. The shocking trade between the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, and Utah Jazz has even the likes of A’ja Wilson and other WNBA stars buzzing with reactions. 

So, what happened was…the Lakers, Mavericks, and Jazz pulled off a three-team trade that sees Anthony Davis heading to Dallas while Luka Doncic makes his way to Los Angeles. And it’s not just those two players. Along with Doncic, the Lakers are also bringing in Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris from the Mavs. 

The Mavericks, on the other hand, will get Davis, Max Christie, and the Lakers’ 2029 first-round pick. The Jazz, not to be left out, will receive Jalen Hood-Schifino, the Clippers’ 2025 second-round pick, and a 2025 second-round pick from Dallas.

Now, the really surprising part is neither LeBron James, Luka Doncic, nor Anthony Davis knew about the trade before it went public. Sources close to James said he was still processing it and didn’t have a clue this was in the works. The same goes for Davis and Doncic.

But why did the Mavericks make this move? Well, it turns out the Mavs were growing increasingly frustrated with Luka’s conditioning and discipline. But what discipline? Oh, his diet and overall fitness. The team had been dealing with Luka’s injuries all season, and the team says his lack of focus on conditioning had a big impact on his injury struggles. 

Davis has been battling injuries too, with an abdominal strain sidelining him recently. Both superstars have had their fair share of injury woes this season. And even, per sources, Davis and LA Lakers management had some kind of tension over this. All these factors contributed to this big move.

Now, this trade has sent ripples through the NBA, and even their female counterparts couldn’t seem to get enough. The reactions have been flooding social media, with women hoopers sharing their thoughts. 

A’ja Wilson and women hoopers can’t keep calm over the Luka-AD trade

LV Aces star A’ja Wilson took a different approach, joking, “NBA said ‘hold my beer’ to our free agency shenanigans 😂😂😂.” The WNBA too was in the middle of a wild free agency period with Kelsey Plum heading to the Sparks, Jewell Loyd joining the Aces, Satou Sabally making moves, Brittney Griner landing in Atlanta, DiJonai Carrington heading to Dallas, Sophie Cunningham teaming up with Caitlin Clark in Indiana, and much more. 

Basically, the W was buzzing with drama, and then the NBA swoops in with this massive trade, pulling everyone’s attention away. Phoenic Mercury guard Kahleah Copper took to X, “Otp wit Tiff at this hour is insane lol.” 

She was probably on the phone with Tiffany late at night when the news broke, and no one was sleeping after that. The trade is so shocking that every team and player, affected or not, couldn’t hold themselves from talking about it. College basketball star Talia Von Oelhoffen penned, “IS THIS REAL.” 

But what makes this news even wilder is that Luka was the face of the franchise in Dallas. The Mavs built everything around him, and suddenly, he’s out. That has fans and even WNBA stars stunned. Michaela Onyenwere from Chicago Sky summed it up in two words, “No loyalty… 😬.” 

Because honestly, that was everyone’s reaction. This was history. Never before have two teams traded two reigning All-NBA players for each other mid-season. So disbelief was the natural response. Then there’s Alysha Clark from LV Aces, who pointed out something that a lot of people were thinking, “CRAZY. They didn’t want to be upstaged lol.” 

The timing of this trade is interesting, to say the least. The WNBA free agency was dominating headlines, and suddenly, the NBA pulled off one of the biggest trades in league history. Because the NBA surely knows how to steal the spotlight.

Though this is truly iconic, WNBA free agency is also on fire with major moves and roster shakeups. It is set to make the 2025 season brand new for some teams and even stronger for others. So while Luka and AD switching teams have rocked the basketball world, Wilson’s W is still bringing the heat. 

The coming years are going to be wild across both leagues, and we’re here for it.