Despite being the third wheel in the egregiously strange Luka Doncic trade, Max Christie has been making his mark for the Dallas Mavericks.
DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks continue on their long road of penance after trading away franchise cornerstone Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, a trade so shocking that reality still hasn’t set in for many nearly two weeks later.
With the main return piece Anthony Davis out with an injury aggravated in the third quarter of his debut game, Dallas fans have been left to wait and see on the front office’s vision for a post-Luka future.
As a self-assessed win-now Dallas squad maneuvers its way through a rotation depleted by trades and injuries and sit in the eighth spot in the Western Conference at the All-Star break, the Mavericks have been salvaging some crumbs of joy thanks to the other player included in Dallas’ return, with guard Max Christie proving to be more than just a throw-in.
Max, born Cormac Karl Christie, is a 22-year-old shooting guard with some size at 6’6” who had been enjoying a bit of a breakout campaign with Los Angeles in his third NBA season out of Michigan State. Once a certified five-star recruit for the class of 2021, Christie has shown year-to-year improvement since being drafted in the second round by the Lakers in 2022.
Christie had been labeled as a young “3 and D” role player as he arrived, much in the vein of the role that Derrick Jones Jr. flourished in with Dallas last season and the one that current Mav Naji Marshall has taken on. Tasked with being a lockdown wing defender who can hit his shots, sometimes labels don’t carry over to new teams as players ingratiate themselves to new teammates and schemes, but for Christie, it’s been a fitting description.
Christie’s first action with Dallas came on February 4 in Philadelphia, just days after Nico Harrison unleashed a thunderbolt upon the league by dealing Doncic out west. With the trade still fresh for fans and players alike, the team was running on fumes and emotion, but Christie quickly settled into his new home.
Christie, who new teammate Klay Thompson erroneously believed to be former NBA defensive standout Doug Christie’s son, shot 4-for-4 from deep in just under 32 minutes of action, continuing his role from L.A. by guarding the opponent’s best playmakers. He also finished with 15 points and 9 rebounds, giving Dallas a preview of his potential.
Dallas lost Christie’s debut, but the glimpse has transformed into raised expectations quickly, as Christie has followed up his first game with five straight contests of at least 15 points scored, including 23 against interstate rival Houston that saw him shoot 80% from deep.
After winning on Wednesday and Thursday, with Christie averaging 18 points and five boards in the victories, the Mavs are now 4-2 in the six games that Christie has suited up for them, including a win over the Boston Celtics in Boston.
Injuries or not, Christie has carved out a role with Dallas quickly and has garnered himself meaningful minutes, averaging nearly 40 in the Mavericks in the last two games. Somehow, Dallas has not only survived the storm of both Luka’s departure and several injury blows but having won four of the last five, they’ve positioned themselves to potentially escape the play-ins as they trail the sixth-seeded Clippers by just two games.
Something that won’t be measured on the stat sheets but has been on display is Christie’s personality. Christie has carried himself extremely well in his interviews, providing insight and clarity in a muddy time for team communications.
“I’m big on perspective,” Christie said when discussing the trade that surprised him initially just like it shocked everyone. “Being able to be a part of a trade of that magnitude is definitely kind of flattering for me. I was definitely shocked, but at the end of the day, after I started to process my emotions and kind of realized what was going on, trying to find a positive out of everything, I was able to find a positive in that.”
His teammates, such as Thompson, have also taken notice of his intangibles. “I’ve had great success with Michigan State guys in my career and he’s just another one,” said the four-time champion. “They come in and they know how to defend and they are team players.”
Christie has shown the qualities on and off the court so quickly that it is easy to envision him being a Dallas stalwart for years to come as Dallas looks for their next core. Nothing can replace Luka Doncic for a lot of Mavericks fans, but Christie has been doing his best to prove that the trade was way more than just a one-for-one swap of two superstars.
Do you think Christie and the Mavs will make their ascension on the other side of the All-Star break? Share your thoughts with Irvin on Bluesky @irvin.bsky.social.
