The most charitable possible explanation for the Luka Dončić trade -- and this was already a stretch -- was that it improved the team's short-term prospects. Nico Harrison told us as much when he said,

An NBA insider made a bold statement suggesting that Anthony Davis should not play another game for the Dallas Mavericks and should be traded during the summer. The Dallas Mavericks‘ NBA season has taken a dramatic turn for the worse in just about a month.

Nico Harrison and The Dallas Mavericks shocked the world on the night of February 1st. It may be time to shock again this offseason by trading Anthony Davis less than 6 months after trading Luka Doncic for him.