Straight to voicemail: Mavericks handled the Luka Doncic trade communication horribly
By Austin Owens
Perhaps the biggest blockbuster trade in recent NBA history occurred between the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers this weekend. The Lakers acquired superstar Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round draft pick.
While fans are still trying to figure out what the thought process behind this move was with the Mavericks, it sounds like Doncic has had little communication with the organization himself throughout this whole process.
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Mavericks GM on communicating with Doncic
With this historic trade being finalized just after midnight, the logistics of communicating with all those involved was a little more challenging than usual. The trade deadline is not until Thursday of this week so it is unknown why this deal had to be completed in the wee hours of the night.
Doncic was under contract with the Mavericks through the 2026-27 season. Dallas had become home for him and had a vision to win a championship with the Mavericks. General manager Nico Harrison obviously had other ideas.
As if trading Doncic away with no prior indication wasn’t enough, it sure sounds like there is some hostility lingering after the fact. Doncic sent a heartfelt message to Mavericks fans but failed to mention the organization as a whole. While discussing the communication aspect of this process, Harrison made some shocking remarks.
Per the Dallas News, Harrison said that he had sent Luka Doncic a text message and a voicemail but got no response. “My guess is that he doesn’t want to talk to me,” Harrison stated. He is probably right.
Even though Doncic seems upset with how this situation has been handled by the Mavericks, there is no doubt that teaming up with legend Lebron James in Los Angeles is going to be a dream come true and provide us with some entertaining basketball if both can stay healthy.
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