As the dust settled from the NBA trade deadline, the Los Angeles Lakers stood atop as the clear winners, even though their deal for Mark Williams fell through.

The Lakers managed to swindle the Dallas Mavericks out of Luka Doncic, Markieff Morris, and Maxi Kleber for the low price of Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick.

The Lakers, it would seem, are viable title contenders now that they’ve paired Doncic with LeBron James, and the Mavericks are expected to fall down the standings, especially after Anthony Davis hurt his abductor.

Still, any trade is tough to swallow, even one as one-sided as this one, and JJ Redick didn’t hold back his thoughts.

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Lakers lost two key pieces

The Lakers traded away Davis for Doncic in what was a clear upgrade from the moment the trade was finalized, despite Davis being an elite player. Christie was thrown in as salary filler, but since arriving in Dallas, he has been solid.

During his time in Los Angeles this season, Christie made the most of his limited time, averaging 8.5 points and 2.7 rebounds on 36.8% shooting from 3-point range in 25 minutes per game.

With the Mavericks, he has blossomed, averaging 32 minutes per game and posting 15.3 points per game on even better shooting numbers. While adding Doncic was clearly the right choice for the Lakers, JJ Redick can’t help but wonder what their lineup would look like had they managed to keep Christie.