Mavericks GM's explanation for Luka Doncic trade is far from good enough

Well, should we go ahead and book the Los Angeles Lakers their ticke t to the NBA Finals? That's certainly how it feels late on Saturday night (or early Sunday morning in some places) with the bombshell trade that will send Luka Doncic to the Lakers as Anthony Davis goes to the Dallas Mavericks.

Other pieces are also involved, as are the Utah Jazz, but the headliner is that for a reason. Doncic, a 25-year-old superstar conceivably just entering the prime of his career is now heading to Los Angeles for the twilight of LeBron James' career.

The news was so shocking that fans legitimately thought that ESPN insider Shams Charania had been hacked when he broke the news but it's 100% real. And even with that simple fact, it's still hard to accept given that the Mavericks gave up their best player in exchange for Davis, who is great in his own right but is a clear downgrade to the roster in Dallas.

So when the deal was finally realized as legitimate, the question was "why?" when it came to the Mavericks. General manager Nico Harrison provided an explanation — but not remotely one that will satiate anyone upset at seeing Doncic go.

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Mavs GM gives worst possible explanation for trading Luka Doncic to Lakers

Speaking to ESPN's Tim MacMahon, Harrison explained that the trade upgraded the Mavericks defense, which he sees as a better chance for Dallas to win a championship:

"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."

My friend, you don't trade Luka Doncic and think that you have a better chance of winning a title. That's not how this works. That's never been how it works.

MacMahon further unpacked the logic from the Mavericks and Harrison in the aftermath of the trade, explaining that Dallas "had major concerns" about giving Luka a supermax contract this summer after dealing with his conditioning issues and, as seen in Harrison's quote, perhaps his defense too.

The Lakers, however, will have no such concerns. Not only are they now championship contenders exponentially more so than they were when the calendar first turned to February but they also now have a building block for a post-LeBron era in LA. It's as big a win possible for the purple and gold.

But for Harrison, his thinking seems so incalculably misguided. Is Luka a good defender? Has he had issues with being in shape? Yes to both. He's still worth every penny of a supermax. He's a player that you build around, develop his weaknesses or at least mask them with the rest of the roster around him. He is not a player that you trade for a much older veteran big with injury issues and while only getting one first-round pick in return. That's just bad business.

But hey, the defense will be better, or at least so Harrison says. That'll certainly make up for it when Luka is averaging a triple-double in the NBA Finals for the Lakers in a few months, right Mavs fans?