The Mavs are in disarray. They traded their franchise player for a 30 year old who is often injured. And they only got one first. ONE!! They have also been ravaged by injuries. Kyrie is out until at least January of 2026, and AD isn't exactly durable. So they need to sell off all their pieces

The Thunder are really good now. But if they don't get the chip this year, they may want to consider a big swing. They get Anthony Davis in this trade. He is, when healthy, a very good rebounder, scorer, and defender. They do give up a few good pieces in Hartinstein and Joe, but AD is a really good player. If they don't overload him with heavy minutes and keep him healthy, he can give them a different element on offence. And maybe more importantly, when Shai sits, AD can run the offence with J Dub. He can make them somebody nobody wants to face in the postseason, which the Thunder don't have the luxury of having now. Cam can add to their depth and tradable pieces when he can be traded. (Just kidding! He won't get barely any minutes on this deep thunder team)

The Mavs need to start over. They have their first this year and in 2026. But until 2031, they either have picks going outright to other teams, or in swaps. So they don't have a great angle to get better. They start with AD, getting a good return for what he might be valued as. They also sell of Lively and Thompson. I know Mavs fans might hate the Lakers part of the trade, but it is the best course of action. Lively was going to be the Luka-lob-partner for years to come. But now they don't have anybody to give him lobs. Klay came to Dallas to play with Luka and now he is in LA. So they give both of those guys what they wanted. Now to what they got. They get Hartinstein, Joe, and Mitchell from the Thunder. Those can all be good rotation pieces. Ajay Mitchell could be a good part of the franchise if he continues to develop. They also get a 2027 first round swap will the Clippers, Their own pick back in 2028, and two seconds. They get Hachimura and Knecht from the Lakers. They can also be good rotation pieces. They get the swap right to LA's 2030 first.

The Nets get an interesting young player who hasn't gotten a lot of burn on a formerly competitive Mavs team. He can get more minutes on a rebuilding Nets team. They get a second for their trouble.

The Lakers get two good pieces for their team. Lively can be their starting center next to Luka for years. Klay can get open threes for the last few years of his career. They give swap rights to their 2030 first, but it is WAAY less valuable if Luka stays.

Notes: This trade works because the Thunder and Mavs would both pick up the Team Options for Mitchell and Omax, respectively. Notes: I don't know why the 2030 Lakers pick says CHA has rights to swap, as the Mark Williams trade was canceled. Notes: The 2030 LA pick is a swap, not a straight up pick.