The entire world has endlessly scrutinized the Dallas Mavericks‘ unprecedented decision to trade Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. It came out of nowhere and has no other parallel in NBA history, as we have never seen a 25-year-old in his prime be traded without wanting out.
Doncic not wanting out is a key factor here. According to The Athletic, Doncic was expected to ink a five-year, $345 million supermax extension in the summer after making five All-NBA teams in six years and leading the team to the 2024 NBA Finals. However, the Mavericks never intended to offer Doncic this deal in the first place.
“Had he remained in Dallas, Doncic would have been eligible to sign a five-year, $345 million contract. The estimation from the outside, one that The Athletic confirmed once the trade was completed, was that he wanted to re-up with the organization for the long term come July.”
“But there was one twist: The Mavericks were never going to offer Doncic that mega deal, league sources said. And a general manager identifying one star to trade, negotiating with only one GM he knows and trusts and targeting only one player who he’s worked with before and whose character he can vouch for — just as Harrison did with Doncic, Pelinka, and Davis — was no accident.”
Given the reporting that’s come out of Dallas since the trade, this is entirely plausible.
The Mark Cuban-era Mavericks likely would’ve handed Doncic a new contract instantly while hoping he fixes his bad habits as he ages and leads the Mavericks to their championship destiny. He’s anyway coming off a Finals appearance, so he likely could’ve done it without maturing all that much, such is his talent.
That was probably the scenario the Mavericks wanted to avoid. If they did make another Finals or won a title this year, the team would have no choice but to sign Doncic to a supermax extension.
This trade was never about actual results, but more about team culture. The Mavs also didn’t want to reward a player they thought didn’t take his body too seriously with the biggest contract in NBA history.
The Athletic’s story does a deep dive into GM Nico Harrison’s background, and it’s clear Harrison places fitness and culture as two of the most important pillars in building a roster. Doncic seemingly didn’t fit either bucket in Nico’s eyes and he’s now on the Lakers, while the Mavericks move forward with Anthony Davis and Max Christie.
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