The NBA world was left in shock when news broke on Saturday night that the Los Angeles Lakers had completed a major trade for Luka Doncic, sending Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks. One of the most surprising aspects of the trade was the Mavericks’ decision to part with a 25-year-old superstar who had led them to the NBA Finals just a year ago.
Mavericks GM Nico Harrison was the first to publicly address the trade, explaining the reasoning behind the move. “I understand why they would be shocked, initially,” Harrison told The Dallas Morning 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 also noted that Doncic’s contract situation played a significant role in the decision. “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,” he 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 the initial shock of trading Doncic, the Mavericks reached out to Lakers GM Rob Pelinka to discuss a potential trade. Harrison revealed that his long-standing relationship with Pelinka—dating back to when Harrison worked at Nike and Pelinka was a player agent—helped facilitate the discussions. “We started having ‘basketball’ conversations more than a month ago,” Harrison recalled. “Then all of a sudden we’re like, ‘Would you ever do this?’ ‘Nah, you’re joking, right?’ ‘Hmm. Interesting. Maybe I would.’” The discussions grew over time, eventually culminating in the trade.
Pelinka, after hearing that acquiring Doncic was a genuine possibility, responded just as any other executive would have. Despite the difficulty of parting with Davis and Max Christie, bringing in a 25-year-old superstar like Doncic is a trade any franchise would make. With Doncic joining LeBron James and Austin Reaves, Pelinka’s focus will now shift to adding additional talent, particularly in the frontcourt, following the loss of Davis.
While Harrison publicly stated the reasons for the trade, reports have suggested that Doncic’s conditioning and injury history were also factors that influenced the Mavericks’ decision to move him to the Lakers.
