Doncic, who had dragged an otherwise unremarkable Mavericks team through the Western Conference, became the face of their failure. Dallas coach Jason Kidd was forced to come out and defend his maligned star, even though without Doncic, the Mavericks were a faded Kyrie Irving and a bunch of role players.

This year’s trade deadline might be the most eventful in NBA history. Many teams are sensing that the Larry O’Brien trophy is ripe for the taking, and to that end, teams such as the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks pulled off bombshell moves that they believe will be for the best.