It’s official: The Luka Dončić trade could not have gone worse for the Mavs in the first week

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LeBron James texted Luka Dončić on the morning of his newest teammate’s Los Angeles Lakers debut, asking if he wanted the honor of being introduced last among starters for a game against the Utah Jazz.

“Today,” Dončić responded, “if you can let me have this one.”

And with four words from Lakers announcer Lawrence Tanter — “From Slovenia, Luka Dončić” — it was officially official: The 25-year-old, five-time All-NBA first-team selection was wearing forum blue and gold.

The dream in Los Angeles is a nightmare for the Dallas Mavericks, only it is reality: Luka is a Laker. The Mavericks really did trade him for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a single first-round draft pick in 2029.

It was a culmination of the week between the Dončić deal and his debut. During that span, what was on its face the dumbest trade in modern NBA history somehow got worse for the Mavericks with each day.

Initial news of the trade took the entire league by surprise. Players of Dončić’s caliber are who win championships in the NBA, as evidenced by last season’s appearance in the Finals, and teams do not trade those players before they have entered their prime seasons. Even the Lakers were shocked. As one person familiar with the locker room’s reaction said in the trade’s aftermath, “Stunned to say the least.”

At the introductory press conference, Lakers executive Rob Pelinka thanked Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison for trading Dončić to Los Angeles, calling it “a gift” and “a seismic event in NBA history.”

There had to be an explanation for this, everyone thought.

Only the first wave of reporting offered little to go on. Neither Dončić nor Dallas offered any indication that he would have turned down the $345 million supermax extension for which he was eligible in July.

“Absolutely not,” said Dončić. “Easy answer.”

Instead, Harrison told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, “I believe that defense wins championships. I believe that getting an All-Defensive center and an All-NBA player with a defensive mindset gives us a better chance. We’re built to win now and in the future.” With that we thought: Maybe he believes this is a good…

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Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2025-02-11 17:49:00

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