New York Knicks forward Josh Hart was just as surprised as everyone else when it was announced that the Los Angeles Lakers had acquired Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks. Hart was asked about his reaction to the trade in his postgame press conference after the 124-118 win over the Houston Rockets on Monday and hilariously praised Lakers GM Rob Pelinka.
“I think everybody was in awe, in shock,” Hart said. “Gotta give credit to Rob Pelinka, man. Highway robbery. Good for them. It’s always good when someone like me when I get traded for a superstar. I got traded for Luka, great vibes.”
Josh Hart was asked for his thoughts on the Luka Dončić trade to the Lakers:
"Gotta give credit to Rob Pelinka, man. Highway robbery. It's always good for someone like me when I get traded for a superstar. I got traded for Luka, great vibes" 😂 pic.twitter.com/6VD8P2f3Jj
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) February 4, 2025
Hart, of course, was part of the package that the Lakers had sent to the New Orleans Pelicans in 2019 to acquire Anthony Davis. With Davis now having been sent to the Mavericks along with Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick, Hart can claim he got traded for Doncic. The 29-year-old appears to be quite proud about that.
As for Hart, who had 19 points, eight rebounds, five assists, one steal, and one block against the Rockets, calling this trade highway robbery by Pelinka, he is far from the only one to think that. The Lakers have gotten a generational talent in Doncic, who is averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists, 2.0 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game in 2024-25, and didn’t have to give up a boatload of assets for him.
Sure, Davis is a fabulous player, but he will turn 32 next month and has an injury history. The chances of him still dominating on the court three to four years down the line aren’t great.
As for Christie, he is a good young player but is unlikely to ever become a star. That first-round pick, meanwhile, is now not all that valuable as Doncic will ensure the Lakers are a playoff team for the foreseeable future. So, this wasn’t a great haul at all, and one man appears to be responsible for that.
Kirk Goldsberry reported that the Mavericks wanted Davis, Dalton Knecht, and multiple first-round picks for Doncic, but Pelinka managed to convince their GM Nico Harrison to take less. He cited the Slovenian’s health and drinking habits as reasons why the Lakers would not give up more assets. Did that make sense? Absolutely not, but Harrison looks to have agreed with that assessment.
Pelinka has come under fire from the Lakers fanbase in recent years but has won them over with this deal. He has given the franchise their next megastar, and they now have a succession plan in place once LeBron James leaves or retires.
NBA Executives Are Furious That Only The Lakers Got The Chance To Acquire Luka Doncic
Harrison only spoke to Pelinka and the Lakers about a Doncic trade, and that hasn’t gone down too well with the rest of the league. ESPN reports that NBA executives are furious and jealous that only the Lakers got the opportunity to land Doncic.
“Executives from around the league were both furious and jealous that the glitzy, star-driven Lakers had been the only team given an opportunity to bid for Doncic’s services.”
Harrison’s reasoning for only contacting one team was quite interesting. He felt the best way to trade Doncic was to pick the trade he wanted. The 52-year-old desired to see Davis in Dallas and so the Lakers were the team he reached out to.
Harrison also wanted to avoid going public as he felt Doncic and his agent would then exert their leverage and that fan backlash might influence the deal too. Well, he failed to get a great return for Doncic and is facing plenty of backlash now, so things certainly didn’t work out as expected.
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