Anyone who's willing to cite the Lakers’ early-round loss as an example of why Nico Harrison and the Mavericks were right to move on from Doncic has lost the plot.

It's not that their first-round loss to the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves was super surprising—Minnesota had a much better net rating this season—it's that the series loss exposed some of the bigger issues with the rest of the roster.

A report recently shed some light on the blockbuster trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Dallas Mavericks were severely criticized for not getting enough in the Doncic trade. The Mavs acquired Anthony Davis as the centerpiece of the Lakers’ trade package alongside promising wing Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick.