Rob Pelinka literally thanked Nico Harrison for allowing him to steal Luka Doncic

It's not often that NBA executives literally thank the person who allowed them to acquire a superstar, but the Luka Doncic trade has defied all convention in the NBA.

During Luka's introductory press conference on Tuesday, Lakers GM Rob Pelinka mentioned Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison by name, saying he was "instrumental" in making this trade happen. I don't think Pelinka meant this in any sarcastic way, but it's impossible to thank someone you just robbed and not sound a little condescending.

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Luka, meanwhile, didn't have much to say about Nico Harrison, giving a "no comment" when asked his feelings about the Mavericks upper brass. That's understandable, too; getting the rug pulled out from underneath you after you've given a lot to a team, city and franchise can't feel good.

Watching Luka's press conference was surreal. Of course, tons of media members were in LA to welcome Luka and ask him questions, and I think both Luka and Rob Pelinka are still a little stunned by what's gone down in the past 72 hours. So are we, guys.

Rob Pelinka pulled off the heist of the century

Frankly, if someone came to me and said "Hey, I have this thing that will make your job 1000 times easier and I want to gift it to you basically for free," I would probably be inclined to thank them, too — so I get where Pelinka is coming from here.

Nico Harrison probably didn't expect to cement himself as a Los Angeles Lakers legend when he made this trade, but that's basically what happened. Being a legend for a team you're competing against isn't the goal of NBA GM's though, if I had to guess.