The Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to the Lakers for Anthony Davis, citing defense as a key motivation.
DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks’ late-night trade of superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday left the entire sports world with one major question: Why?
ESPN reporter Tim MacMahon, a longtime member of the Mavericks press corps, began shedding some light on that, including reporting a quote from Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison.
Harrison emphasized defense as a motivating factor for trading Doncic in a deal for center Anthony Davis, one of the top defensive players in the NBA.
“I believe that defense wins championships,” Harrison told MacMahon. “I believe that getting an All-Defensive center and an All-NBA player with a defensive mindset gives us a better chance. We’re built to win now and in the future.”
MacMahon also reported on some frustrations the Mavericks reportedly had with Doncic, saying the team had “major concerns about moving forward” with Doncic “due to his constant conditioning issues,” along with an upcoming supermax contract extension he’ll be due to sign this summer.
ESPN’s Shams Charania, who broke the news of the trade shortly after 11 p.m. Dallas time, reported that the Mavericks approached the Lakers “recently and offered Luka Doncic” as a potential trade piece.
“Lakers brass met and believed the 25-year-old Doncic has the ability to be the face of their franchise for the next decade while giving Anthony Davis a win-now move in Dallas,” Charania reported.
Marc Stein, another longtime NBA and Mavericks reporter, posted on X that Doncic did not request a trade to the Lakers. Instead, the Mavericks “did this on their own accord” amid “long-term concerns” about Doncic’s conditioning.
Jake Fischer, who reports for Stein’s SteinLine, indicated the Doncic trade came as a surprise to league insiders as well. Fischer reported that the Mavericks had contacted several teams about a potential trade, but “nobody knew it was trading Luka Doncic.”
