Red Sox trade compared to Mavs shipping Luka Doncic to Lakers

The likeness becomes more obvious when one looks at the details: Devers was a multiple-time All-Star at just 28 years old who was considered the best offensive player on his team. Doncic was a five-time All-NBA player who led his team to the NBA Finals the season before, behind his flamethrower offensive ability. Both are the kind of athletes who can elevate a franchise to championship heights.

The Red Sox and Mavericks find themselves in very similar positions with their fanbases, both of whom were and are rightfully upset with their franchise’s decision-making. Each player represented a fanbase’s hopes, which were disregarded without proper explanation or second thought.

Though the returns were a bit different, as Dallas received Anthony Davis and Max Christie, and Boston received some prospects, the sentiment was the same, especially amongst each organization’s faithful. Questions arose about the aptitude of each front office, and how rare it is to find talents of that caliber.

Devers has averaged .274 this season with 15 home runs, 59 runs batted in, and an OPS of .907, which are once again All-Star numbers. Doncic put up his own impressive stat line of 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game while shooting 45% from the field and 37% from three.

It’s very unlikely that either Boston or Dallas overcomes the trade anytime soon in the eyes of their fans, but at least the Mavericks landed the top-overall pick in the NBA Draft to help settle tensions. Overall, the jarring trades show that a player’s on-field impact is not the only thing that matters to fans: they become attached to a player’s development within the organization.