SergioNYK wrote:From everything I've read, it seems like Dallas management believes Luka is going to end up like Embiid/LAC version of Kawhi and they didn't want to commit long term. Which is fine and their right to do what they think is best. The issue is only trading with the Lakers and not even entertaining offers from other teams. It looks really suspect and I think there would be a good chance the trade gets vetoed if David Stern was still alive and running things. But we all know Adam Silver is a cuck and gutless.

AD is a really REALLY good player and without a doubt a future HOFer but he's 6 years old and at the tail end of his career. It might be a decent trade for Dallas for a year or two but their window is extremely short. They are also banking on that psycho Kyrie being on his best behavior. I don't like their odds.

Ultimately I hate this trade for Dallas and love it for the Lakers. Guys like Luka do not come around often. He's a generational talent. He's not perfect and I'm fully aware of the weight issues and the lack of 100% commitment to his craft but the talent is there and it's not like he hasn't produced. He almost won a ring last season! This also sets up the Lakers for life after LeBum. The hardest thing to do, as we all know here, when you're building a team is getting the main guy and they have it. Everything else from co-star, to supporting cast to finding guys that just fit are much easier now. Call it luck but teams just always seem to help the Lakers. Just wait for the next few days when some team gifts them a good Center for peanuts.

This trade was so lopsided that something else must have been going on. The NBA should investigate. Why would you trade Luka without seeking other offers? Dallas could have gotten a solid player and like 4-5 draft 1st round picks for Luka. If Davis was 5 years younger, then I could understand, but Davis is hurt even more than Luka and he probably only has 3-4 more good years in him. Terrible deal for Dallas.

Nico had a great run last year to the finals - their despicable tank job allowed them to hit big on Lively and they effectively made 2 strong moves getting Gafford and Washington which changed the season for them. He had built up a lot of currency for that strong season and now he's punted it all away.

Nalod wrote:

GustavBahler wrote:AD got hurt in his first game as a Mav, and will miss weeks, at least. Still can’t believe that they traded Luka

I read about this on the Athletic forum. Can’t believe they hired this guy. F’ed up twice on multi-generational talent.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6125157/2025/02/09/anthony-davis-injury-out-dallas-mavericks/

Nico Harrison, currently the Dallas Mavericks' General Manager and President of Basketball Operations, is facing intense scrutiny for trading away Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. But, this is not the first time in his career that he has been involved in a questionable decision regarding a generational talent.

Before his NBA front-office days, Harrison was a key executive at Nike, where he played a pivotal role in one of the most infamous blunders in sports marketing history: losing Stephen Curry to Under Armour.

In 2013, Nike had the opportunity to re-sign Stephen Curry to a lucrative shoe deal. At the time, Curry was an up-and-coming star, but he had yet to win an MVP award or an NBA championship.

Under Armour saw his potential and aggressively pursued him with a $4 million-per-year contract and the promise of a signature shoe line. Meanwhile, Nike's offer was only $2.5 million per year and, as history now shows, their pitch meeting to Curry was a disaster.

According to Ethan Sherwood of ESPN Strauss, Nike executives—including Harrison—mispronounced Curry’s name as “Steph-on” during the presentation. The blunder went uncorrected, making it evident that Nike had not put enough effort into personalizing the pitch for Curry.

To make matters worse, the PowerPoint slides used in the meeting still had Kevin Durant’s name on them, suggesting that the presentation was merely a recycled deck from previous meetings. This showed a lack of genuine interest in making Curry a major priority for Nike.

Dell Curry, Stephen’s father, was reportedly so unimpressed by the careless approach that he stopped paying attention midway through the meeting. Curry took his father's advice and signed with Under Armour—a decision that would turn into one of the biggest marketing wins in sports history.

Fast forward to 2025, and Nico Harrison is once again at the center of a controversial decision—trading away Luka Doncic, a five-time All-NBA First Team player, at just 25 years old.

Much like Nike failed to recognize Curry’s long-term potential, Harrison and the Mavericks front office seemed to underestimate Doncic’s future impact, prioritizing short-term financial flexibility and defensive improvement with Anthony Davis.

That despicable Tank job helped them get to finals.
Nike has dominant market share. Focus on Nico's misses but not the success? Nico tank job and despite the Brunson miss they still got to finals last year.
Much of Steph's deal with Under Armor deal was in stock. The shares? IPO 20 years ago, 2015 hit 53, sits at 7 and change now.
I don't know whenor if he has sold any shares. Steph is doing quite well for himself no doubt, but that deal was made before Steph was MVP and became a god and given his slight build and ankle issues early in his career not all was convinced he'd be this kind of guy!
Nico grade in his trade early on is preposterous at first glance. Davis getting hurt his first game is awful.
a year or two two in to this one might see Dallas make a magnificent run. Or its a disaster.
Pile on Nico is easy target for now. But the guy obviously helped Nike achieve long term.

Anyone with this take is watching the wrong show.

MAVS were finalists last year but yet made a move to compete now?
Nico having more of a hand than a TOP 3 ALL NBA is really naive.
What happened the other night was exactly what those opposed to trade warned about .
Yet those that were in denial are acting surprised?
Just one of many reasons why you don’t trade your 25 year old cornerstone for an injury prone 32 year old.

Mavs are worse now short term and long term after this trade.
Nico will be fired and an asterisk in Mavs history

The new owners are casino people right? Maybe their bottom line has been hit by online gaming and they don't feel like paying the luxury tax for the next x years.

Tweet was deleted or there was problem with the URL:

https://www.twitter.com/chris_kratovil/status/1886148234369802535

it's in french but a basic translation:

More than 24 hours after Luka Doncic's transfer to the Lakers, it still seems just as complicated to find a concrete reason for the Slovenian’s trade.

Beyond Nico Harrison’s statements explaining the desire to “win now and in the future,” others, such as a business lawyer in Dallas, suggest that this move by the franchise owners has little to do with basketball.
A Speculative Theory

Before going any further on this topic: the arguments presented in this article are primarily based on speculation made by a Dallas-based lawyer, Christopher Kratovil. However, his arguments are worth considering. While his theory might seem a bit far-fetched at first glance, it offers a precise explanation of the stakes behind Luka Doncic's trade, which remains inexplicable as of now.
A Look at Gambling Laws in the U.S. (and Texas)

In the United States, the establishment of casinos and the broader legalization of gambling-related businesses (including sports betting) falls under state jurisdiction. For decades, successive governments in Texas have strongly opposed this financial ecosystem. In practice, gambling is allowed in Texas, but only in highly regulated forms (state lottery, charity lotteries, etc.). The key point to note: in Texas, privately-run gambling establishments are illegal.

To change these regulations, political action is required. In Texas, legislative proposals are submitted during “regular” sessions held every two years. Alternatively, “extraordinary” sessions can be convened by the state governor when deemed necessary. That’s essentially how the process works.
Miriam Adelson and Patrick Dumont

Since early 2024, Miriam Adelson and Patrick Dumont have owned the Dallas Mavericks. They are also at the helm of a major business: Las Vegas Sands Corporation, one of the world's largest casino and gambling groups, with establishments in Las Vegas (naturally), as well as in Asia, China, and Singapore. This empire generates massive revenue ($10 billion in 2023) and has a strong interest in expanding... to Texas.

The Adelson-Dumont duo aims to legalize private casinos in specific regions of Texas, including the Dallas-Fort Worth area. For years, their group has actively lobbied state legislators. However, despite their efforts to convince policymakers to pass the necessary law, achieving this goal in the current legislative session appears unlikely. This means they would have to wait until… 2027.
The Mavericks as a Leverage Tool..?

By purchasing the Mavericks, Adelson and Dumont secured a significant local influence. This is where Christopher Kratovil’s theory comes into play. According to the lawyer, Luka Doncic's trade could be part of a strategy that has little to do with sports and much more to do with their business interests.

For the past 24 hours, Nico Harrison has been widely criticized for giving away the Mavericks' future to Los Angeles. At this point, it is hard to argue otherwise—sending arguably the best young player in the NBA away is a strategic disaster. Even though Dallas received Anthony Davis in return, their immediate title window is short. If things don’t work out—especially with aging players like Klay Thompson and Kyrie Irving—the consequences will be catastrophic: the Mavericks currently do not own a draft pick between 2026 and 2029.

Everything was built around Luka Doncic as the franchise’s centerpiece for years to come. This only adds to the confusion surrounding the trade. But from another perspective… Miriam Adelson and Patrick Dumont might actually benefit from sinking the Mavericks.

Here’s why: if the team declines, revenues could drop—fewer ticket sales, less media interest. Additionally, the trade has already sparked massive outrage among fans: over 700,000 Instagram followers lost in 24 hours. A sign of deep disappointment that could translate into a larger disengagement. If the franchise becomes irrelevant, it creates leverage for the owners.

According to Kratovil, this is the real strategy. By turning a key Dallas team into an underperforming mess, Adelson and Dumont could use it as a bargaining chip in 2027 to negotiate with local authorities. Their ultimate goal? A brand-new arena… featuring a massive casino. A must-visit entertainment destination in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

And if the law doesn’t pass? The owners could pressure NBA commissioner Adam Silver, suggesting that the Dallas project is dead, and that moving the team to Las Vegas would reignite interest and improve both the franchise’s sports and financial standing.
Luka Doncic to the Lakers: A Favor to the NBA?

Kratovil also raises another point—one that is harder to follow. He suggests that trading Doncic to the Lakers might have been an attempt to win favor with the NBA. Los Angeles is one of the league’s biggest markets and one of the most globally recognized teams. Handing the Lakers the next face of the NBA is a marketing goldmine but a complete sporting aberration, as other teams likely could have offered better draft picks to Dallas.

In short, this move could put the NBA’s leadership in a favorable position toward Adelson and Dumont if a relocation were ever proposed.
Final Thoughts

Let’s be honest: this theory is pretty far-fetched. However, in the immediate aftermath of the trade, it provides an intriguing and persuasive explanation for many unanswered questions.

That being said, given the NBA’s control over its franchises, it is hard to believe the league would allow owners—no matter how profit-driven—to intentionally sabotage a successful team so easily.

There is a world in which Anthony Davis thrives in Dallas, and the Mavericks win a championship next year—making all these speculations look ridiculous in hindsight.

But for now, this theory is worth considering… if only to remind us that sports are no longer just about the game on the court.

Sources: NBC News Dallas Fort Worth, Dallas Morning News, Texas Tribune, Texas.gov, Texas Policy Research.

blkexec wrote:Ironically, both injury prone super stars, who was traded for each other, are now injured. Can't make this up.

Yeah but look at how bright the Mav's future is for the 3-4 years.

Nalod wrote:

Alpha1971 wrote:Man I recall when I posted on the Knicks forum at PSD and people said the KP trade was the worst in history. Man o man, I argued it was a trade but not the scale of all time worst. Man, this is perhaps the worst possible trade I have ever seen.

Was not even close to being "The worst trade". KP never lived up to his potential and is often hurt.
We got cap space to sign Randle who nobody was excited about but he out performed his contract.
Give this trade a chance. With Kyrie out for some time its a mess in Dallas but lets see how Doncic ages a few years.
Often time is needed to access.
Im not saying its a trade I'd make and the short term has been a freaking disaster.

Yup. KP was in Latvia recovering from knee surgery, complaining about how the team was being run from several thousand miles away. And he demanded a trade. We were lucky that we didn’t get fleeced. Same with the Melo trade. He had nothing left in the tank, and was forcing a trade as well. Had to take a forced season off to get back some of his game, and stamina.

Alpha1971 wrote:

Nalod wrote:

Alpha1971 wrote:Man I recall when I posted on the Knicks forum at PSD and people said the KP trade was the worst in history. Man o man, I argued it was a trade but not the scale of all time worst. Man, this is perhaps the worst possible trade I have ever seen.

Was not even close to being "The worst trade". KP never lived up to his potential and is often hurt.
We got cap space to sign Randle who nobody was excited about but he out performed his contract.
Give this trade a chance. With Kyrie out for some time its a mess in Dallas but lets see how Doncic ages a few years.
Often time is needed to access.
Im not saying its a trade I'd make and the short term has been a freaking disaster.

Dallas could have traded him for so much more, picks, young players, stars, whatever.

Look at the roster the time they made that deal.........
They were succeeding in games without Luka also.
Kyrie
thompson
Gafford/lively
AD
Washington

Healthy thats a more rounded team that went to finals last year.
Your not wrong they could have gotten a better deal if you know what they actually wanted. Rebuild?
We learned they made a call about Ant Edwards. Who else did they call quietly? We don't know.
I think we dismiss Davis because of his injuries. Its a valid point but again that team could have done very well in a playoff run this year if healthy. Instead its a **** show and Luka is putting up a lot of shots. If I thought Lebron was retiring this year or next its a trade Lakers do all day regardless. But, if Doncic starts to decline or break down in the next few years thats another story. Thats why I give it time.
We have learned sometimes first impressions are not the correct ones. Media and letter grades jump on big trades and are quick to judge. It went south QUICKLY!!!!