To Lakers for Anthony Davis.

I'm in shock. This does not add up at all. There has got to be more to the story.

I'm told that this was Nico Harrison's deal, that it took several weeks to play out after the Mavericks reached out to the Lakers, and that Harrison got full support from Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont.

— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) February 2, 2025

They were upset with his conditioning and diet choices..he apparently ballooned up to 260 pounds right before the injury..

It could be the new ownership group saying we do not want to give him that supermax extension.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/43659398/luka-doncic-los-angeles-lakers-anthony-davis-dallas-mavericks-social-reaction

Some funny ones. Even as a Rockets fan I'm in shock.

Stefano DiMera said:

---

They were upset with his conditioning and diet choices..he apparently ballooned up to 260 pounds right before the injury..

It could be the new ownership group saying we do not want to give him that supermax extension.

---

Even if that were true… There is no way they could not have gotten more for him from another team. Horrible horrible horrible trade.

Mothra said:

---

Nico Harrison is an absolute idiot - trading away a generational talent for 30-year-old injury prone center. Going to go down as the worst trade in NBA history.

---

That is why this does not add up. Nico has been anything but an idiot since he's been here. He has made brilliant moves. This makes zero sense.

Being a Dallas area pro sports fan is not easy work

Stefano DiMera said:

---

To Lakers for Anthony Davis.

---

No way Cuban makes that deal. New ownership. Crazy!

Stefano DiMera said:

---

They were upset with his conditioning and diet choices..he apparently ballooned up to 260 pounds right before the injury..

It could be the new ownership group saying we do not want to give him that supermax extension.

---

His doughy ass led them to the finals last ****ing year ... after singlehandedly leading then to the Western Conference finals a couple of years earlier.

This is further proof that attaining a front office job with a pro sports franchise doesn't make a person an expert. This is an idiotic trade -- and one that completely betrays a fan base that has put up with a whole lot of **** over the years.

We'll see if he has something else up his sleeve. There's still a couple days before trade deadline...and Mavs have a couple attractive pieces in Hardy and Gafford and others.

bear2be2 said:

---

Stefano DiMera said:

---

We'll see if he has something else up his sleeve. There's still a couple days before trade deadline...and Mavs have a couple attractive pieces in Hardy and Gafford and others.

---

Regardless of what they do going forward, they just fumbled a generational asset.

The return on this trade is utterly indefensible.

---

Clearly, the Mavs are all in for this year. Just became a boring team.

bear2be2 said:

---

Stefano DiMera said:

---

They were upset with his conditioning and diet choices..he apparently ballooned up to 260 pounds right before the injury..

It could be the new ownership group saying we do not want to give him that supermax extension.

---

His doughy ass led them to the finals last ****ing year ... after singlehandedly leading then to the Western Conference finals a couple of years earlier.

This is further proof that attaining a front office job with a pro sports franchise doesn't make a person an expert. This is an idiotic trade -- and one that completely betrays a fan base that has put up with a whole lot of **** over the years.

---

Yup. I can't believe they cited conditioning as the basis for the trade. What a crock of *****

I have to think ownership didn't want to sign him to a super max deal. Otherwise this makes no sense whatsoever. They will rue the day they made the worst trade in NBA history.

Mitch Blood Green said:

---

bear2be2 said:

---

Stefano DiMera said:

---

We'll see if he has something else up his sleeve. There's still a couple days before trade deadline...and Mavs have a couple attractive pieces in Hardy and Gafford and others.

---

Regardless of what they do going forward, they just fumbled a generational asset.

The return on this trade is utterly indefensible.

---

Clearly, the Mavs are all in for this year. Just became a boring team.

---

And yet they're still worse with Davis than they were last year. And significantly so IMO. Kyrie's numbers are down across the board from last year. And now you lose the best playmaker in the NBA to go with an aging injury prone center who can't stay healthy.

So dumb.

bear2be2 said:

---

Mothra said:

---

bear2be2 said:

---

Stefano DiMera said:

---

They were upset with his conditioning and diet choices..he apparently ballooned up to 260 pounds right before the injury..

It could be the new ownership group saying we do not want to give him that supermax extension.

---

His doughy ass led them to the finals last ****ing year ... after singlehandedly leading then to the Western Conference finals a couple of years earlier.

This is further proof that attaining a front office job with a pro sports franchise doesn't make a person an expert. This is an idiotic trade -- and one that completely betrays a fan base that has put up with a whole lot of **** over the years.

---

Yup. I can't believe they cited conditioning as the basis for the trade. What a crock of *****

I have to think ownership didn't want to sign him to a super max deal. Otherwise this makes no sense whatsoever. They will rue the day they made the worst trade in NBA history.

---

I'm not normally a conspiracy theorist, but I wouldn't be at all shocked if this is a long-term play to nuke the fan base to justify a move to Las Vegas.

Cuban sold DFW basketball fans out when he sold the team to a bunch of soulless *******s.

---

It's so baffling that I have to believe you are correct

I still think there must be more to the story… But Nico is making it sound like they feared they were going to lose him either way and might as well get something for him.


Mavs GM Nico Harrison on stunning Luka Doncic trade: 'It's my job to make tough decisions'
The Mavs are sending their star player to the Lakers in a stunning deal.



Feb. 1, 2025

|
Updated Feb. 2, 2025 at 9:02 a.m. CST

|
5 min. read

Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic runs during the first half of an NBA basketball game...
Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic runs during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Portland Trail Blazers, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)(LM Otero / AP)
Update:

This story has been updated with quotes from Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison.

In the most shocking trade in Mavericks and perhaps NBA history, Dallas is sending 25-year-old superstar Luka Doncic to the Lakers in a blockbuster that brings perennial All-Star Anthony Davis to the Mavericks.

The news broke late Saturday night, sending shockwaves through the NBA, but with two epicenters: Dallas and Los Angeles.

As part of the three-team deal, which was officially announced at 9:06 a.m. Sunday, the Mavericks are sending Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to the Lakers. Along with Davis, Los Angeles is sending Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick to Dallas.


Reaction among Mavericks fans ranged from utter shock to outrage that Dallas would trade a transcendent talent and five-time All-NBA first team player who seemingly hasn't even reached his prime for a first-round pick and top-ten NBA player, sure, but one who is six years older than Doncic.

"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."

How, when and why did this megadeal come to fruition?

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."

A person familiar with the Mavericks' thinking told The News that Harrison got full support from team governor Patrick Dumont in the weeks leading to the trade and when it was time to pull the trigger late Saturday night.

Doncic is in his seventh NBA season and averages 28.6 points for his career, third-highest in NBA history to this point.

This season, however, Doncic has only played in 22 games and has missed the last 18 with a left calf strain, drawing even closer scrutiny to his career-long struggles with maintaining optimal conditioning.

Until this trade, Doncic was eligible to receive a five-year, $345 million supermax extension from the Mavericks this offseason, and in recent weeks there had been rumblings about whether Dallas and its franchise face were headed to a precarious crossroad:

Would Dallas offer the supermax? Would Doncic take it, or play one more season and enter unrestricted free agency?

Now that he's been traded, however, Doncic no longer is eligible for that supermax extension.

"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."

Davis, 6-10 and 250 pounds, last week was named to his 10th NBA All-Star team. He has career averages of 24.2 points and 10.7 rebounds and co-led, with LeBron James, the Lakers to the 2020 NBA championship.

As much as his scoring and rebounding will help Dallas, it's Davis' prowess as a five-team All-Defensive team member and three-time NBA blocked shots leader that was coveted by Harrison and Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, who was an assistant on that 2020 Lakers title team.

"We really feel that defense wins championships, and we think the players that we're bringing in add to the culture, which is important to what J-Kidd and I have been building here from day one," Harrison said.

"And then obviously, when you get an all NBA player who's also a first team All-Defensive player, we think that's gonna help us where we need it the most, on the defensive end."

Davis primarily has played center the last three seasons for the Lakers and recently told ESPN that he longed for Los Angeles to acquire a center, which would allow Davis to return to power forward, his preferred position and the position he played when Los Angeles won the title.

In joining the Mavericks, Davis will play alongside center Daniel Gafford and eventually Dereck Lively II when he returns from his recent ankle stress fracture.

"I think if you look at the Cleveland Cavaliers, that's what you're going to see," said Harrison, a reference to Cleveland's imposing frontcourt of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. "Anthony's probably going to finish games at the five, but you're going to see those guys play together. And when Lakers won, he played the four."

Harrison said that as of early Sunday morning, he had not communicated directly with Doncic, but, rather Doncic's agent Bill Duffy.

Harrison said he did text and leave a phone message for Doncic.

"My guess is he probably doesn't want to talk to me," Harrison said.

That probably also reflects the mood of many Mavericks fans, but let's see how this shocking trade plays out in the coming weeks, years and perhaps a decade.

The Mavs play the Lakers twice more this regular season: in Los Angeles on Feb. 25 and in Dallas on April 9.

"I think if you look at the Cleveland Cavaliers, that's what you're going to see," said Harrison, a reference to Cleveland's imposing frontcourt of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. "Anthony's probably going to finish games at the five, but you're going to see those guys play together. And when Lakers won, he played the four."

Imagine making a trade to try and look like the Cleveland Cavaliers. L.O. Effing. L.

Let's pretend that everything they are saying to justify this is true...he's damaged goods, he won't commit to fitness, he was leaving anyways, blah blah blah...it still won't prevent the entire fanbase from feeling like they just got sucker punched in the face. Apathy and disinterest just skyrocketed.

Great day for Jerry Jones, though...

Cuban has sucked for ages. But this is an all time low. He's the worst owner in D/FW, and that's saying something.

Jets of the NBA.

Mitch Henessey said:

---

Dia del DougO said:

---

Cuban has sucked for ages. But this is an all time low. He's the worst owner in D/FW, and that's saying something.

Jets of the NBA.

---

He's not the owner anymore, boss.

---

New ownership to Cuban:

"Hold my beer."

Hotsauce said:

---

it still won't prevent the entire fanbase from feeling like they just got sucker punched in the face. Apathy and disinterest just skyrocketed.

Great day for Jerry Jones, though...

---

the Dallas Mavericks have lost over 700,000 thousand followers on Instagram in just a little over 4 hours since the trade pic.twitter.com/zYIS03MuFQ

— 𝙎𝙠𝙮𝙚𝙙 🇦🇺 (@SkyedOKC) February 2, 2025

boognish_bear said:

---

I'm in shock. This does not add up at all. There has got to be more to the story.

I'm told that this was Nico Harrison's deal, that it took several weeks to play out after the Mavericks reached out to the Lakers, and that Harrison got full support from Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont.

— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) February 2, 2025

---

It is a head scratcher for both teams. Doncic and Lebron does not look like a fit at all. Rumors there may be another big trade coming.

Luka finding out the Mavs traded him to the Lakers pic.twitter.com/Nz3zVkkFfI

— Josiah Johnson (@KingJosiah54) February 2, 2025

Hotsauce said:

---

Let's pretend that everything they are saying to justify this is true...he's damaged goods, he won't commit to fitness, he was leaving anyways, blah blah blah...it still won't prevent the entire fanbase from feeling like they just got sucker punched in the face. Apathy and disinterest just skyrocketed.

Great day for Jerry Jones, though...

---

If you just insist on trading Luka, shop him to the entire league and get the best deal possible.

It make no sense whatsoever to negotiate with one team -- a team their GM just happens to have connections to -- and sell him for pennies on the dollar.

The Mavericks front office look like absolute fools right now, and none of these justifications make even a lick of sense.

And the fact that they didn't give Luka any warning makes this even worse. You don't blindside a franchise player who has been more loyal to your organization than he had any reason to be. That's bull*****

REPORT: The Mavericks “approached at least one other team” about trading away Luka Doncic, but that other team declined, per @sam_amick

What on earth is going on 👀 pic.twitter.com/CjGWNQPBf1

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) February 2, 2025

Mavs turned Luka, Brunson, and Porzingis into AD, Max Christie, and Spencer Dinwiddie

— Jake (@JakeWallinger) February 2, 2025

I know LeBron is on the tail end of his career...but he and Luka dont seem like a good match to me.

I assume Luka will defer to LeBron running the offense. Not sure how Luka will look as an off the ball player. It's a good problem for them to have though.

Mitch Henessey said:

---

"I think if you look at the Cleveland Cavaliers, that's what you're going to see," said Harrison, a reference to Cleveland's imposing frontcourt of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. "Anthony's probably going to finish games at the five, but you're going to see those guys play together. And when Lakers won, he played the four."

Imagine making a trade to try and look like the Cleveland Cavaliers. L.O. Effing. L.

---

That statement was absolutely incredible to me. Cleveland hasn't one a damn thing in years.

This guy is nuts.

boognish_bear said:

---

Mavs turned Luka, Brunson, and Porzingis into AD, Max Christie, and Spencer Dinwiddie

— Jake (@JakeWallinger) February 2, 2025

---

Puke

boognish_bear said:

---

I still think there must be more to the story… But Nico is making it sound like they feared they were going to lose him either way and might as well get something for him.


Mavs GM Nico Harrison on stunning Luka Doncic trade: 'It's my job to make tough decisions'
The Mavs are sending their star player to the Lakers in a stunning deal.



Feb. 1, 2025

|
Updated Feb. 2, 2025 at 9:02 a.m. CST

|
5 min. read

Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic runs during the first half of an NBA basketball game...
Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic runs during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Portland Trail Blazers, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)(LM Otero / AP)
Update:

This story has been updated with quotes from Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison.

In the most shocking trade in Mavericks and perhaps NBA history, Dallas is sending 25-year-old superstar Luka Doncic to the Lakers in a blockbuster that brings perennial All-Star Anthony Davis to the Mavericks.

The news broke late Saturday night, sending shockwaves through the NBA, but with two epicenters: Dallas and Los Angeles.

As part of the three-team deal, which was officially announced at 9:06 a.m. Sunday, the Mavericks are sending Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to the Lakers. Along with Davis, Los Angeles is sending Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick to Dallas.


Reaction among Mavericks fans ranged from utter shock to outrage that Dallas would trade a transcendent talent and five-time All-NBA first team player who seemingly hasn't even reached his prime for a first-round pick and top-ten NBA player, sure, but one who is six years older than Doncic.

"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."

How, when and why did this megadeal come to fruition?

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."

A person familiar with the Mavericks' thinking told The News that Harrison got full support from team governor Patrick Dumont in the weeks leading to the trade and when it was time to pull the trigger late Saturday night.

Doncic is in his seventh NBA season and averages 28.6 points for his career, third-highest in NBA history to this point.

This season, however, Doncic has only played in 22 games and has missed the last 18 with a left calf strain, drawing even closer scrutiny to his career-long struggles with maintaining optimal conditioning.

Until this trade, Doncic was eligible to receive a five-year, $345 million supermax extension from the Mavericks this offseason, and in recent weeks there had been rumblings about whether Dallas and its franchise face were headed to a precarious crossroad:

Would Dallas offer the supermax? Would Doncic take it, or play one more season and enter unrestricted free agency?

Now that he's been traded, however, Doncic no longer is eligible for that supermax extension.

"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."

Davis, 6-10 and 250 pounds, last week was named to his 10th NBA All-Star team. He has career averages of 24.2 points and 10.7 rebounds and co-led, with LeBron James, the Lakers to the 2020 NBA championship.

As much as his scoring and rebounding will help Dallas, it's Davis' prowess as a five-team All-Defensive team member and three-time NBA blocked shots leader that was coveted by Harrison and Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, who was an assistant on that 2020 Lakers title team.

"We really feel that defense wins championships, and we think the players that we're bringing in add to the culture, which is important to what J-Kidd and I have been building here from day one," Harrison said.

"And then obviously, when you get an all NBA player who's also a first team All-Defensive player, we think that's gonna help us where we need it the most, on the defensive end."

Davis primarily has played center the last three seasons for the Lakers and recently told ESPN that he longed for Los Angeles to acquire a center, which would allow Davis to return to power forward, his preferred position and the position he played when Los Angeles won the title.

In joining the Mavericks, Davis will play alongside center Daniel Gafford and eventually Dereck Lively II when he returns from his recent ankle stress fracture.

"I think if you look at the Cleveland Cavaliers, that's what you're going to see," said Harrison, a reference to Cleveland's imposing frontcourt of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. "Anthony's probably going to finish games at the five, but you're going to see those guys play together. And when Lakers won, he played the four."

Harrison said that as of early Sunday morning, he had not communicated directly with Doncic, but, rather Doncic's agent Bill Duffy.

Harrison said he did text and leave a phone message for Doncic.

"My guess is he probably doesn't want to talk to me," Harrison said.

That probably also reflects the mood of many Mavericks fans, but let's see how this shocking trade plays out in the coming weeks, years and perhaps a decade.

The Mavs play the Lakers twice more this regular season: in Los Angeles on Feb. 25 and in Dallas on April 9.

---

So Gafford and Lively aren't going to be playing in crunch time at the end of games?

Simply incredible.