NBA legend Paul Pierce made an intriguing comparison between the Golden State Warriors, featuring Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, and the Los Angeles Lakers, with LeBron James and Luka Doncic. The two most significant trades this year were undoubtedly the ones that brought Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers and Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors.

After we spent all season feeling confident in a three-horse NBA title race between the Oklahoma City Thunder, Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers, the two iconic franchises out west have entered the conversation.

The Mavericks' decision to trade Luke Doncic to the Lakers was shocking for many reasons, one of which was that Dallas made the NBA Finals less than a year ago. At the time, winning the Western Conference felt like the beginning of Dallas' title window,