One of the defining moments of Jeanie Buss’ tenure as the Los Angeles Lakers’ controlling governor was the blockbuster trade that landed the storied franchise Luka Doncic.
The Doncic trade shifted the landscape of the NBA as the global superstar is one of the few players in the league that can transform an organization into an instant title contender. In his first full season with the Lakers, Doncic led them to a 53-29 record and would have likely been an MVP finalist had he not gotten hurt.
Los Angeles’ future is as bright as ever with Doncic leading the way, and Buss knew that getting him required minimal communication amongst key figures. In an appearance on the Pretty Tough podcast, Buss revealed that the trade was kept secret from important figures like Mark Cuban, who she felt would have killed the deal had he found out about it:
“The Dallas team wanted Anthony Davis and he was on our team. Conversations started, but it was important they remained private…. Those conversations started in the beginning of January… Rob Pelinka, our general manager, was able to do that all without it leaking to the media because I think Mark Cuban might’ve jumped in front of a train to keep it from happening… Nobody knew including Luka, and Anthony Davis, and LeBron James. We had a game in New York that night, and the coach knew this was going to happen but he still had to play the game, and we won the game that night. It wasn’t a distraction.”
Cuban sold his majority stake in the Mavericks but remains involved with their organization, so he would have definitely tried to prevent Doncic being moved. President of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka deserves plenty of credit for keeping the deal under wraps, especially in an age when information is always readily available.
Dallas is on its way back to relevancy with Cooper Flagg, but the Lakers have to feel fortunate that a generational star like Doncic fell into their laps.
Jeanie Buss discusses building around Luka Doncic, LeBron James’ uncertain future
Under Buss’ watch, the Lakers secured the perfect successor to LeBron James in Doncic who is ready to lead the franchise moving forward.
While Buss left James’ future with organization in his hands, she added that she and the rest of the franchise are happy to see Doncic representing the purple and gold.
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