The Dallas Mavericks did the unthinkable over the weekend, trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in a move most NBA fans and pundits thought was a Shams Charania social media hack. It was not, but the trade itself was that bad. Dallas landed Anthony Davis and some assets in return, but it surely wasn't even the best package they could've received for Luka.
The Mavs front office raised questions about Doncic's weight and conditioning on the way out, seemingly avoiding the obvious reason they actually traded him, which is money. Doncic would've been eligible for a five-year, $345 million extension next summer. The Adelson family doesn't want to pay that money.
The executive technically responsible for the Doncic trade is Nico Harrison, but one can only assume the reasons behind said move run deeper. Either the Adelsons didn't want to pay Luka and Harrison was under orders to get rid of him, or Harrison had an ulterior motive. You cannot convince me the Mavs were concerned about his weight and conditioning – the man just carried Dallas to the Finals, and is 25. Please.
Nico Harrison already has a backup plan when the Dallas Mavericks fire him
A recent report by DLLS Mavs suggests Harrison isn't long for this job which, if true, raises even more questions about the Doncic trade itself.
"There has been belief, which multiple team and league sources expressed to me over the past months long before this trade, that Harrison does not have a long-term desire to remain in his current role as general manager," Tim Cato reported.
Harrison is a former Nike executive, and could easily find a job elsewhere in the basketball business. If he is under fire from Mavericks fans, or being set up by the Adelson family as an obvious fall guy for protecting their interest, he has an easy out. There is nothing keeping Harrison in Dallas at this point.
Harrison's excuses for trading Doncic almost did not sound...real. He mentioned briefly that 'defense wins championships' and even took a shot at his former star's conditioning. No one does that, right?
Luka was willing to stay in Dallas long term, despite some reported tension with the front office and ownership. Mark Cuban – who is no longer the majority owner – once said he'd rather get divorced than trade Luka.
Essentially, the entire Doncic trade saga is fishy. I don't have the answers, but I'm awfully good at pointing out questions aimlessly.