Saturday night’s mega-blockbuster trade between the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers and Utah Jazz sending Anthony Davis to the defending Western Conference champions and Luka Doncic to the City of Angels shocked everyone across the sports world.
According to a report by Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News, however, the deal wasn’t a spur of the moment decision by either Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka or Mavericks GM Nico Harrison.
Per Townsend’s report, it was Harrison who initially reached out to Pelinka and the negotiations took “several weeks to play out.” Furthermore, the GM got “full support” from Dallas governor Patrick Dumont, according to Townsend.
“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,” the report said. “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.’
Mavericks GM: ‘My Guess is (Doncic) Probably Doesn’t Want to Talk to Me’
The full trade saw the Lakers receive Doncic, and veteran power forwards Markieff Morris and Maxi Kleber. The Mavericks got AD, shooting guard Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick.
Having recently earned his 10th All-Star honor, Davis is on the path to the Basketball Hall of Fame. He’ll turn 32 years old in March, however, while at 25 years old, Doncic has perhaps not yet reached his prime.
The former Rookie of the Year made five straight All-Star teams from 2020-24, was a top-10 finisher in the regular season MVP vote during the entire stretch and had his best year during the 2023-24 campaign. Not only did Doncic lead the NBA in scoring (33.9 points per game) and have his best finish in the MVP race (third), but he led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Boston Celtics.
Harrison told Townsend that as of Sunday morning, he hadn’t talked directly with Doncic, though he’d been in contact with the Slovenian’s agent, Bill Duffy. Harrison added that he’s texted and left a voicemail for Doncic but is expecting their relationship to be frosty for the time being.
“My guess is he probably doesn’t want to talk to me,” the general manager said, according to the report.
After last season’s MVP-caliber campaign, this winter has been a different story for the former third overall pick.
While Doncic’s 28.1 points and 8.3 rebounds per game are still elite, they’re his lowest averages in four years, and his 7.8 assists per contest are his fewest since his 2018-19 rookie output. He’s posted a career-high 2.0 steals per tilt, but most concerning is that he’s played in just 22 games, missing the last 18 due to a left calf strain.
Prior to the trade, Doncic was eligible to receive a five-year, $345 million supermax extension in the upcoming offseason, though that chance is now out the window.
Mavericks Reporter: Deal is ‘Perhaps’ Most Shocking in NBA History
Townsend wrote that the Davis-Doncic stunner was “perhaps” the most shocking trade in NBA history.
It brought back memories of what the insider previously considered to be the biggest deal in Dallas history, ironically involving their head coach, Jason Kidd.
“Until tonight, my most shocking moment of covering the Mavericks was Dec. 26, 1996, when acting GM Frank Zaccanelli pulled me aside in a Reunion Arena hallway and said he was about to trade 23-year-old Jason Kidd,” Townsend wrote on social media. “Tonight was at least five times more shocking.”
After being selected as the No. 2 overall pick during the 1994 NBA Draft, Kidd won the Rookie of the Year award during his debut season in Dallas. He was moved with then-rookie big man Loren Meyer and shooting guard Tony Dumas to the Phoenix Suns for forward A.C. Green, small forward Michael Finley, point guard Sam Cassell and a 1998 second-round pick.
Kidd made his first of 10 All-Star teams soon afterward and spent four-plus seasons in Phoenix and six-plus years with the then-New Jersey Nets before being sent back to Dallas in February 2008. The five-time assists champion’s second stint with the Mavericks lasted through the 2011-12 campaign before playing his final season with the New York Knicks.
Kidd began his head coaching career in 2013, and the Hall-of-Fame point guard is now in his fourth season at the helm in Dallas.
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