Luka Doncic’s Shocking Trade & the “Do-It-All” Mentality in Tech

How the demand for “two-way players” in the NBA and “full-stack developers” in tech is driven by cost-cutting, not performance

Being a big NBA fan, I was just as shocked as everyone else when I heard about Luka Dončić’s sudden trade to the LA Lakers. I admire Luka’s basketball abilities and sportsmanship, so I spent hours learning about what happened. That got me thinking about my own career in tech, and I came away with some insights that I’m happy to share.

Luka Dončić woke up as a Dallas Maverick and went to sleep as a Los Angeles Laker. Just like that, overnight, one of the most loyal and talented players in the NBA was traded behind his back.

This wasn't just any trade. Luka was on track to sign a five-year max contract worth $349 million with Dallas—a deal that would have kept him in the city he loved, playing for the team he wanted to commit to for life.

But that deal never happened.

The Luka Doncic Trade – A Shocking Overnight Decision

The Mavericks' General Manager made the trade without informing Luka or his manager. No discussion, no heads-up—just a sudden decision that sent shockwaves through the basketball world. Officially, the front office justified it by questioning Luka’s conditioning and defensive effort, claiming he wasn't a strong enough two-way player.

But let’s be real. The real reason was money.

Dallas didn’t want to commit to that massive contract, so they framed the narrative around Luka’s weaknesses rather than acknowledging the financial motivation. Loyalty, as it turns out, is often a one-way street in business.

And this isn’t just an NBA problem—it’s happening in software engineering too.

Are One-Dimensional Players a Liability?

In the NBA, great offensive players like Nikola Jokić and Luka Dončić often get criticized for not being strong defenders. But maybe the same traits that make them elite scorers and playmakers—like their size, offensive instincts, and ball-dominant playing style—also make it harder for them to excel on defense.

A 6'11" playmaker like Jokić isn't built to be a perimeter defender chasing quick guards. A ball-dominant creator like Luka expends so much energy orchestrating the offense that expecting him to lock down opponents defensively might be unrealistic.

Yet, the modern NBA increasingly demands that every player be a two-way star. If you can’t score, pass, defend, and rebound at an elite level, you’re seen as a liability. But is this about basketball strategy, or is it about team owners trying to cut costs?

This same expectation of being an all-around player exists in software engineering.

The “Do-It-All” Mentality in Software Engineering

These days, developers are expected to be full-stack and have DevOps skills, no matter their primary expertise. Back-end engineers are asked to handle front-end tasks, and front-end engineers are expected to manage cloud deployments. The traditional DevOps or SRE teams? Many companies have offloaded that responsibility onto developers.

Why? Because specialization costs money.

Cost-Cutting at the Expense of Talent

Instead of hiring separate specialists for back-end, front-end, DevOps, and infrastructure, companies would rather hire one “full-stack” engineer who does it all. This way, they save money, reduce headcount, and maximize productivity. Sound familiar?

NBA teams want versatile two-way players because it allows them to pay fewer specialists. Why sign both an elite defender and an elite scorer when you can pressure one player to be “good enough” at both?

The same logic applies in tech. Instead of paying for:

• A front-end engineer

• A back-end engineer

• A DevOps engineer

  
  

Many companies now look for one person to do it all—even if it leads to burnout and lower efficiency.

The problem? Not everyone is built for this.

The Hidden Cost of Burnout and Lower Quality

Just like not every basketball player can be elite at everything, not every developer can—or should—be expected to master all aspects of software development. Specialization exists for a reason.

In both basketball and software engineering, forcing people to stretch beyond their strengths has consequences:

• Decreased performance – A burned-out developer writing DevOps scripts is like an exhausted Luka Dončić being asked to chase quick guards all game. Neither will perform at their best.

• Lower job satisfaction – Developers who love building products might not enjoy troubleshooting cloud infrastructure. Just like scorers don't always love playing tough defense.

• Higher burnout rates – When engineers juggle multiple complex responsibilities, it’s easy to burn out and leave the industry.

The NBA learned this the hard way. Many teams who tried to force offensive stars to become elite defenders ended up overloading them, leading to injuries, fatigue, and shorter career longevity.

The same thing is happening in tech.

Should We All Be “Two-Way Players?

I don’t deny that versatility has value. In both basketball and tech, well-rounded skills can make someone more effective. And it can also give you more opportunities for a new job.

But forcing everyone into the same mold ignores that specialization exists for a reason. Not everyone can—or should—do everything.

So, to all developers—do you think this shift is making us more valuable, or are we just being stretched too thin?

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