Who did their blockbuster trade better: The Rams or the Lakers?

Hey Los Angeles! If you woke up this morning, you've undoubtedly been shocked and or surprised at the sports headlines today. No, the Los Angeles Rams did not make a headline move. That honor belongs to the Los Angeles Lakers. And in the case of anticipation among NBA Insiders, nobody saw this one coming.

The Dallas Mavericks have agreed to trade PG Luka Doncic, PF Markieff Morris, and PF Maxi Kleiber to the Los Angeles Lakers for PF Anthony Davis. G Max Christie, and a 2029 Round 1 draft pick. By all accounts, this is a blockbuster trade. Two marquee NBA players are swapping jerseys.

Based in the initial reactions on social media, NBA fans everywhere are stunned. It appears as though the Rams GM Les Snead is not the only riverboat gambler in the city of Los Angeles, California. But that now begs the question: Who did it better?

Admittedly, the instant grades and reactions are inherently flawed. But this is an era of instant feedback. I don't make the rules, I'm simply willing to toss my hat into the ring where so many others willingly participate. So let's address the elephant in the room.

Who did it better: The Los Angeles Rams or the Los Angeles Lakers?

On paper, the Lakers acquisition of 25-year-old versatile point guard Luka Doncic as the featured player in this trade for 31-year-old power forward Anthony Davis is a bit like the LA Rams trading young 26-year-old quarterback Jared Goff for 33-year-old veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford. But in that NFL trade, the Rams traded for the older veteran.

So what are the Lakers aiming for with this trade? I'll allow that explanation for the NBA analysts who have a much greater sense of NBA strategy, team needs, and how to best improve those rosters. If you are keen on instant winners/losers, Fansided contributor Joseph Kallan does a pretty fair job of first-take grades.

And then you have Rams legendary left tackle Andrew Whitworth weighing him, touting the upside of getting jersey number 77 upgraded for a Los Angeles pro sports team:

On paper, the Lakers get better long term value from this exchange. Resetting the calendar back six years on an elite NBA player, albeit at a different position, is not something to easily shrug off. After all, consider how QB Jared Goff is driving the Detroit Lions offense now.

The Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers are both vying to secure berths in the upcoming NBA Playoffs. The proof of this trade will be found in which team manages to improve their seeding in the remaining season. The Lakers are currently the fifth seed, and the Dallas Mavericks are the eighth seed.

Los Angeles Rams set the gold standard of blockbuster trades

While the Lakers and the Rams play different sports, it's impossible to ignore the fact that the Rams parlayed their own version of a 2021 blockbuster trade into an immediate Super Bowl victory. The trade components were decidedly different at the time, but the overall objectives were almost identical.

The Rams wanted to win the ultimate championship of professional football while the window for elite veterans was still open.

The immediate reactions at the team applauded the Rams for making such a bold and gutsy move. At the time, almost everyone loved the marriage of the improvising veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford in the myriad of buttons, dials, levers, and wheels in the cockpit of the Rams offense designed by HC Sean McVay.

Funny thing is, they were right.

Even one year after the fact, the Rams made the right move. The opportunity to win a Super Bowl is well worth the effort, as it is far too fleeting. Without Stafford, the team risked wasting the prime of All-Pro veterans like DT Aaron Donald and DB Jalen Ramsey. With Stafford, the team ensured that they got their NFL Championship rings, as well as elevating WR Cooper Kupp to one of the NFL's elite wide receivers of all time.

If and when the Los Angeles Lakers win an NBA Championship as a result of this trade, we'll talk again. Until that happens, I have to give the nod to the LA Rams.

Les Snead is still top dog.

As always, thanks for reading.

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