Dallas sports saw one of its most shocking moments ever as Luka Doncic was traded to the Lakers.
DALLAS — Feb. 1, 2025. 11:12 p.m.
At that moment, Dallas sports changed forever. That’s not hyperbole, whether the Luka Doncic trade actually works out for the Mavericks or not.
When ESPN insider Shams Charania posted on X that Doncic was being sent to the Lakers, shockwaves were sent across the sports world — and Mavericks fans were immediately stunned.
Sure, Anthony Davis might still be a decent piece for the Mavericks in the return. Maybe Max Christie will continue to develop into a solid shooting guard. And perhaps that future first-round pick in 2029 could be the next Luka or Dirk.
But few developments in sports can compare to the face of a franchise getting traded in the middle of the night, in the prime of his career, with no one — not fans, not insiders — being none the wiser until the deal was announced.
While national pundits debate if the Luka deal is the most shocking trade in sports history, we can settle some of the debate here locally: It’s the most shocking trade in DFW history and one of the most monumental moments we’ve seen around here.
Only a handful of other transactions and breakups can compare, in no particular order:
Jerry Jones buys the Cowboys, and fires Tom Landry
Landry built the Cowboys into “America’s Team” and enjoyed a remarkable run of 20-plus years of success, including two Super Bowl victories. But when Jones, an Arkansas wildcatter, bought the team in 1989, he sent Landry packing — literally. Our cameras were there as Landry packed up his office at Valley Ranch, the Cowboys’ old practice facility. The new ownership and firing of Landry would change DFW’s most popular team for the long term.
Cowboys trade Herschel Walker, building foundation for 90s dynasty
Walker, a former Heisman Trophy winner, starred for the Cowboys in his first three seasons, including rushing for 1,514 yards in 1988. But with Jimmy Johnson taking the reigns in 1989, and the Cowboys struggling through a 1-15 season, Dallas sent Walker to Minnesota for a bevy of players and draft picks.
The trade laid the foundation for what the Cowboys would become in the 90s, winning three Super Bowls. But while the move might have drawn attention at the time, it wasn’t seen as the franchise’s turning point until those players and picks materialized in later years.
Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson split
Maybe this is the most apt comparison to the Doncic trade, in terms of shock value. The Cowboys were coming off back-to-back Super Bowl wins, but growing tensions between Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson led to the two parting ways after the 1993 season. It’s a move that Cowboys fans feel haunted by to this day.
Alex Rodriguez signs record deal with Texas Rangers
Budding baseball superstar Alex Rodriguez signed with the Rangers as a free agent ahead of the 2001 season, inking a record $252 million contract. The Rangers, to that point, rarely were a destination for some of baseball’s top players, and they were last place in the American League West in 2000. But in terms of shock value, the reality is that baseball players sign mega-deals as free agents all the time — we see it each offseason — and the A-Rod contract didn’t really work out for Texas. He was great during his time in Arlington, but the Rangers ultimately traded him to the New York Yankees after three years.
Dez caught it, then he didn’t
Nothing sums up the frustration of the last 30 years of Cowboys football like the Dez Bryant catch/no-catch in the divisional round of the 2014 playoffs. The Cowboys had one of their best teams of the last 20 years, in arguably Tony Romo’s best season. But Bryant’s catch that was ultimately ruled an interception prevented the Cowboys from (again) reaching the NFC Conference Championship Game. And the drought continues.
