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In a move that sent shockwaves through the NBA, the Dallas Mavericks traded away Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in a blockbuster deal for Anthony Davis. This wasn’t just any trade—Doncic is a generational talent, beloved in Dallas, and fresh off an NBA Finals appearance. Imagine if Chelsea suddenly swapped Cole Palmer for Virgil van Dijk out of nowhere—that’s how wild this feels. In this article, we’ll break down football equivalents of this shocking trade and look at famous instances where teams gave up on superstars too soon
People were most surprised at the Dallas Mavericks trading away Luka Doncic, a player they've had since he was drafted by them at 19 years old, with him developing and performing at the highest level ever since his arrival, winning Rookie of the Year in 2018/19, making the All Star team 5 times, making All-NBA 5 times, averaging 28.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists in his career, and just last season he took his team to the NBA finals, losing to the Boston Celtics.
The consensus of the trade is that the Mavericks lost, trading away a generational all-star who was beloved in the city and when fit, one of the 5 best players in the league at 25 years old, and whilst Davis is no slouch, being a 9 times all-star, having a soon to be 32 year old, who is known for his injuries rather than a player, who may not be in his prime yet, is a baffling decision.
In this article, we are going to go through hypothetical trades in football that are equivalent to this scenario, but also scenarios in football, where a team gave up on a world-class player too early and they went onto regret it.
Football Equivalents
For context, Anthony Davis is known for his defence, with the first words coming from Mavericks General Manager, Nico Harrison, being 'defence wins championships.'
To grasp just how shocking the Luka Doncic trade is, let's put it into football terms. Imagine your favourite club trading away their young, homegrown superstar—the heartbeat of the team—for an older defensive player whose best years might already be behind him.
It sounds unthinkable, right? But that's exactly what happened in the NBA. Here are some football scenarios that mirror the madness of this trade.
Scenario 1 - Cole Palmer for Virgil Van Dijk
Imagine Chelsea, in the middle of a promising rebuild, deciding to trade their 21-year-old star Cole Palmer—who’s directly contributed to nearly half of their goals—for an aging Virgil van Dijk. Van Dijk is still world-class, but at 32, his best years might be behind him. It’s the kind of move that screams short-term desperation over long-term vision. Just like the Mavericks instigating the Doncic trade, imagine if Chelsea made this swap without even testing the market—baffling, right?
This also works as what has seemingly gone on in the Mavs minds is that bringing in a defensive stud, like Van Dijk, will give them a better chance to win the title in the next 1-2 years, rather than rely on their attacking talent to develop and build the rest of the squad around them for years to come.
This is why everyone is confused around the NBA, because it was the Mavs who instigated the trade talk for Doncic with the Lakers, imagine if Chelsea went to Liverpool to swap Palmer for Van Dijk, and didn't consult anyone else in football, who could've offered more just because they wanted someone to bolster their defence now.
Scenario 2 - Phil Foden for Antonio Rudiger
Imagine Manchester City deciding to part ways with Phil Foden, their crown jewel, a player who’s been with the club since he was eight years old and has grown into one of the brightest stars in world football, but because of their defensive issues, they want to reinforce at all costs now.
Foden isn’t just another talented player; he’s the face of City’s future, a hometown hero, and the a major cog of their attack as he’s already won Premier League Player of the Year, helped the club to countless titles, and at just 23, his best years are still ahead of him.
Sure, Rüdiger would bolster City’s defense for a season or two, but at what cost? You’re sacrificing a player who could define the next decade of football in Manchester. It’s the kind of move that would have City fans tearing their hair out, just like Mavericks fans are doing right now. Trading Foden, a local hero and the future of the club, for a quick defensive fix? It’s football madness—and that’s exactly what the Luka Doncic trade feels like in the NBA.
Scenario 3 - Retro - Harry Kane for Thiago Silva in 2017
Imagine Spurs, after back-to-back top four finishes and a team that had potnetial for a title race in the coming years if they added to their group decided that their defence was the problem and they traded away Harry Kane, who'd just won consecutive Premier League Golden Boots for 33 year old Thiago Silva
Silva was, and still proved to be, one of the best defenders in the league for many years and defintely would've levelled up Spurs' defence, as he showed at Chelsea years later, but how would've Spurs fans' react to them giving up on one of their own, who had years ahead of them.
For Spurs, this would’ve been a catastrophic decision, they’d be sacrificing their long-term identity for short-term defensive solidity and much like the Doncic trade, fans and pundits would’ve been left scratching their heads, wondering why a team would part ways with a young superstar who embodied their future.
Scenario 4 - Retro - Neymar for Giorgio Chiellini in 2017
Imagine after losing out on a third consecutive title in 2016/17, Barcelona decided that it was their defensive issues that was at fault and they decided to trade 25 year old Neymar for 33 year old Chiellini.
Yes, Chiellini was and continued to be for many years, a defensive beast, one of the best natural defenders of his generation, but in 2017, he was 33 and showed signs of injuries issues and whilst him and Pique at the back would've been some duo, the idea him and mid-20s Neymar had comparable values would've been absurd.
Neymar was already considered one of the best players in the world, with his flair, creativity, and goal-scoring ability made him the natural successor to Messi at Camp Nou with fans and pundits alike seeing Neymar as the future face of Barcelona, a player who could carry the team for the next decade.
It’s akin to the Mavericks trading Luka Doncic, a player who could define an era, for a short-term defensive fix as Barca fans would’ve been in disbelief, asking why the club would give up on a generational attacking talent who was just entering his prime.
Bad Football Decisions
Now that we’ve looked at hypothetical trades, let’s dive into real-life football blunders where teams gave up on future superstars too soon—mistakes that haunt them to this day.
Mohamed Salah - Chelsea
When brought in from Basel, Salah was a highly regarded prospect, known for his electric pace and dribbling, but at Chelsea with established players, he failed to make his mark, making just 13 Premier League appearances, before being sent on loan to Fiorentina and then sold to Roma at 23 years old.
Just two years later, Salah was back in the Premier League, but now for Liverpool and we all know his history since joining, playing 273 times for them in the league, scoring 176 goals and providing 81 assists, with maybe potential season more contributions coming from him.
Salah was also the primary attacking threat which has led Liverpool to 2 League Cups, an FA Cup, a Community Shield, a UEFA Super Cup, a Club World Cup, a Premier League and a Champions League.
Kevin De Bruyne - Chelsea
Like Salah, De Bruyne struggled to make his mark on an established Chelsea team, making just 3 Premier League appearances for Blues before being shipped out to Wolfsburg, where also like Salah, after just two seasons away, he was back in the Premier League, but for Manchester City.
Since De Bruyne came to Manchester, he has arguably put himself in the contention for best Premier League midfielder of all time, providing 116 assists and scoring 70 goals in 10 seasons at the Etihad.
De Bruyne has been the creator-in-chief for City, which has led to them winning 5 League Cups, 2 FA Cups, a Club World Cup, A Champions League and 6 Premier Leagues whilst he's been at the club.
Andrea Pirlo - Inter Milan and AC Milan
Pirlo has the unique status of being let go to early both early and later in his career, coincidently both Milan clubs making the mistakes on the Italian Legend.
Pirlo moved to Inter for £1.5 million in 1998 from Brescia, but only made 18 Serie A appearances before being loaned out for 2 years and then sold to local rivals Milan in 2001 for around £15 million.
Pirlo went onto make 285 Serie A appearances for Milan over 10 seasons, dominating most midfields he came against with his outstanding on-ball abilities, helping his team to 1 Italian Cup, 2 UEFA Super Cups, 1 FIFA Club World Cup, 2 Champions Leagues and 2 Scudettos.
Despite helping his team win the Serie A in his final season at Milan, they thought his career was over at 31 years old, so they allowed him to leave for free to Juventus, where in his four seasons there, he won 4 Scudettos and Italian Player of the Year in the year he left Milan.
The Luka Doncic trade shocked the NBA and raised questions about whether trading a young superstar for an aging player is ever worth the risk. In football, hypothetical trades like Palmer for Van Dijk and Foden for Rudiger pose a similar dilemma—sacrificing a generational talent for immediate defensive reinforcement. But are these trades truly worth it?
Would clubs take the same gamble the Mavericks did, risking long-term success for short-term gain? These hypothetical scenarios leave us wondering if teams are willing to make such bold moves, or if they’d prefer to build around their rising stars for the future.
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