The NBA world was shook on Saturday night when news came out that the Los Angeles Lakers had completed a blockbuster trade for Luka Doncic, sending Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks.
So many aspects of the trade are hard to fathom, but perhaps the most strange was the Mavericks’ decision to part ways with a 25-year-old superstar that led them to the NBA Finals less than a year ago.
Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison was the first to speak on the record about the deal and explained why he pulled the trigger, via Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News:
“I understand why they would be shocked, initially,” Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison told The News. “But I do believe that we positioned ourselves to win now and also win in the future.
“And that’s ultimately the goal and why we’re here. It’s one of those things where it’s my job to make the tough decisions that put our goals first and foremost.”
Harrison added that Doncic’s upcoming contract situation also played a factor:
“We really feel like we got ahead of what was going to be a tumultuous summer, him being eligible for the supermax and also a year away from him being able to opt out of any contract,” Harrison said. “And so we really felt like we got out in front of that. We know teams, they’ve had it out there, teams have been loading up to try to sign him once that comes available.”
After past the shock of the Mavericks deciding to trade Doncic, they called Rob Pelinka to start trade conversations and the interaction when about as anyone could have expected:
Harrison cited his two-decade relationship with Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, starting when Harrison was a Nike executive and Pelinka was a player agent.
Harrison told The News that he and Pelinka began having “basketball” conversations more than a month ago.
“Then all of a sudden we’re like, ‘Would you ever do this?’
‘Nah, you’re joking, right?’
‘Hmm. Interesting. Maybe I would.’
Added Harrison: “And then it just built over time over the last three weeks.”
Pelinka reacted just as any other executive would have after learning that acquiring a 25-year-old Doncic was a legit possibility. While parting with Davis and Max Christie could not have been easy, it’s a trade you do every time in order to bring in your franchise cornerstone for the next decade-plus.
Now that Doncic is in place alongside LeBron James and Austin Reaves though, Pelinka’s focus will shift to adding some more talent via trade, most likely in the frontcourt after losing Davis.
Luka Doncic’s condition scared Mavericks into trading him to Lakers
While Nico Harrison said what he said on the record, reports have indicated that Luka Doncic’s poor conditioning and injury history was a factor in the Mavericks deciding to trade him to the Lakers.
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