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The Los Angeles Lakers walked away from the most stunning trade of the century with an unexpected bonus. The Lakers now employ 25-year-old Luka Dončić, and they didn’t even have to part with both of their tradeable first-round picks to land him.
Late Saturday, the Dallas Mavericks agreed to send Dončić to the Lakers for 10-time All-Star and defensive anchor Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and the Lakers’ first-round pick in 2029. In the process, the Lakers held onto their 2031 first-rounder.
The Mavs, desperate to find Dončić a new home as soon as possible, did not press for it.
The Lakers’ logic, according to league sources, was that parting with both of their first-rounders would be too perilous. Dončić’s contract can expire in 2026 when they couldn’t know his interest in re-signing. And they had no chance to find out before pulling off an exchange that shook the NBA.
The Lakers could not talk to Dončić’s agent, Bill Duffy, about the trade because both sides, Dallas and Los Angeles, wanted to keep negotiations a secret. Mentioning the behind-the-scenes details to agents would put the information at risk of becoming public, which the Mavericks especially thought would be too flammable. If a trade didn’t materialize, then they believed the prospect of being left with a disgruntled franchise centerpiece could be disastrous.
Despite Mavs general manager Nico Harrison seeming to indicate in a news conference that he spoke only to the Lakers about Dončić, Dallas called at least one other team to inquire about a deal that would flip Dončić for another star, league sources told The Athletic. But the Mavericks didn’t enter deep negotiations with anyone but the Lakers. Harrison, who was once the longtime Nike representative for the late Kobe Bryant, already had a strong relationship with Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, who was Bryant’s longtime agent.
At Harrison’s news conference, he praised Pelinka’s ability to keep talks quiet, even as they went on for weeks, though concealing the availability of a young star was in Pelinka’s interest, too. If the rest of the league learned the Mavs wanted to move Dončić, it could flood Dallas’ inbox, possibly with offers that bested the Lakers’.
So, without the ability to gauge Dončić’s appetite to remain in L.A. long term, the Lakers expressed they couldn’t go all the way in for him, league sources said. And the Mavericks acquiesced, eventually agreeing to deal Dončić, along with Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris, for Davis, Christie, and one first-rounder. For salary-cap reasons, the Jazz also took on Jalen Hood-Schifino and two second-round picks.
Now that the trade is official, answers are emerging. Dončić is ecstatic about joining the Lakers, and all early signs point to a long-term future with the team, a league source said.
Harrison hinted during his news conference why the Mavericks were so eager to unload someone of Dončić’s caliber, picking 31-year-old Davis as the running mate for 32-year-old Kyrie Irving rather than the younger, generational talent who was third in MVP voting last season. He mentioned “the culture we wanted to create” and added “we believe (the players we are bringing in) exemplify that,” a contrast to his thoughts on Dončić.
The specifics behind why the Mavericks drifted away from Dončić, beyond vague questions about his conditioning and off-court habits, remain in question.
The team is under fresh ownership now, as well, with Patrick Dumont taking over for Mark Cuban, who now holds a minority stake in the team and is no longer a primary part of the decision-making process.
“There’s some unique things about his contract that we had to pay attention to,” Harrison said. “There’s other teams that were loading up (to acquire him as a free agent). He was going to have to make his own decision at some point of whether he wants to be here or not, whether we want to supermax him or not, or whether he wants to opt out. So I think we have to take all that in consideration and feel like we got out in front of what could have been a tumultuous year.”
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