The Luka Trade: Utah Jazz Perspective

Early Sunday morning the NBA received a bomb shell from Shams Charania, that 25 year-old superstar Luka Doncic was being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis.

Instantly the NBA and its’ fans alike went into a frenzy, asking if this was real and even believing that Charania had been hacked.

One team knew that a deal was brewing, but was equally shocked when they read the details of the trade, Danny Ainge and the Utah Jazz, who by agreeing to receive Jalen Hood-Schifino and two second round picks, had helped facilitate this deal to give Luka to the Lakers.

Danny Ainge was just as shocked and furious when learning about this deal because by the time he was familiarized with who would be getting traded it was too late, the deal had been done and there was nothing Ainge could do to tank the deal.

When Rob Pelinka, general manager and vice president of basketball operations for the Lakers, reached out to Danny Ainge for his assistance in a trade Ainge was kept almost entirely in the dark about the details, not even knowing Luka Doncic was in the trade until about thirty minutes before the deal was done.

Though this trade has certainly burned bridges between the Lakers and Jazz, who have previously relied on each other to finalize deals such as offloading Russell Westbrook from the Lakers to Utah for a first round pick, this trade does have certain upside for the rebuilding Utah Jazz.

For trading essentially nothing, Utah nets itself a young player who they have been interested in for a while in Jalen Hood-Schifino, who has not really had a shot in the NBA as the Lakers have been trying to compete every season, as well as draft capital which is quintessential to any rebuild.

The Jazz will most likely continue to be in these trades because stars being traded certainly is shocking and possibly helping build super-teams is not on any GM’s bucket list, but when you have the opportunity to get value without giving up any, it is a no-brainer for any team to say yes.

With that said, it seems as though Danny Ainge may have either changed the price of his assistance or declined to help a trade as significant as this trade could be for the entire landscape of the Western Conference and the entire NBA.

It is hard to view this trade as anything but a win for the Jazz but it certainly is overlooked by the shear weight of the names involved, there is hope that Hood-Schifino could become something in the NBA with the ability of the Jazz to provide him with real minutes instead of just garbage time like he had on the Lakers.

This trade deadline has been one for the history books, with names such as Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis, Jimmy Butler, Brandon Ingram, Zach Lavine and so many other talented player being sent to a new destination it will be exciting to see how the NBA looks after the All-Star break on the run to the NBA Playoffs.

Massimo Manfra is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email mgm6116@psu.edu.