Wanting to make the other person happy is an essential part of any healthy relationship. That's a lesson that Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison never learned before trading away franchise cornerstone Luka Dončić, but Rob Pelinka isn't about to make that same mistake now that Luka is a Los Angeles Laker.
Unlike Harrison, who traded Luka away in the most shocking NBA transaction of all-time, the Lakers want their Slovenian superstar to spend the rest of his career in their jersey. With just this upcoming season and a one-year player option on his contract in 2026-27, that means showing him with their actions that they value his happiness.
Lakers fans were more than a little restless at the outset of free agency. Other teams were wheeling and dealing, but other than LeBron James' cryptic opt-in and the signing of Jake LaRavia, there wasn't much to talk about when it came to the purple and gold. For a team that got knocked out of the first round of the playoffs in five games last year, that quiet approach didn't inspire confidence that much would change this upcoming season.
Due to the salary cap, the Lakers were limited with what they could do this summer, but they made the best of a bad situation by pouncing when Deandre Ayton became available. Ayton was bought out by the Portland Trail Blazers last week, in a move that signals that they're ready to turn the starting center position over to Donovan Clingan. Though he hasn't lived up to his full potential as a former No. 1 overall pick (ironically in the same draft class in which Luka was taken third), Ayton is still an above-average center that can defend the rim, rebound and easily put up double-digit points per night.
Considering that the Lakers had the worst center situation in the league last year after trading away Anthony Davis, Ayton represents a huge upgrade. His presence will keep JJ Redick from having to experiment with weird, center-less lineups that are overmatched against any team with a pulse (see how he gradually left Jaxson Hayes for dead against the Timberwolves in the postseason). It will also keep Luka and LeBron from absorbing extra wear and tear as they're forced to guard bigger players.
Ayton may not be the kind of high-flying rim-runner that Luka had in Dallas in Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford, but he's still a quality piece. He was an important part of the Suns' 2021 Finals run, and he'll still only be 27 by time the regular season begins. More importantly, Luka is said to be excited that they're now teammates.
Don't let the Mavericks' lottery luck allow Nico Harrison to find redemption
The mood in Dallas was positively funereal after Luka was traded away in February. After winning the lottery as a 55-1 longshot and drafting Cooper Flagg, one of the most hyped prospects of the last few decades, that attitude has completely flipped, with Mavs fans coming back after initially abandoning the team after Harrison's universally panned deal.
Just because Harrison fell ass-backwards into a gold mine doesn't vindicate the process which led him there. In this case, the ends don't justify the means. Nobody, Harrison especially, could have reasonably predicted that the ping pong balls would have taken such an outrageous turn in Dallas' favor.
Actually that's not completely true — all the NBA conspiracy theorists out there saw this one coming a mile away. But still! Let's not give credit where credit isn't due. Harrison made a trade so bad that most people thought it was fake. That can't be forgotten (or forgiven) even though he lucked into winning such a high stakes game of capture the Flagg.
Signing Ayton doesn't put the Lakers on equal ground with the defending champion Thunder or the new-look Rockets, but it at least gives them a puncher's chance in the West next year, and it shows Luka that the team is serious about building around him. If and when he signs an extension to keep him in L.A., then the work can really begin to hang another banner in Crypto.com Arena.