One of the biggest NBA trades in league history happened over the weekend with the Dallas Mavericks trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, a move that comes around two years after Mark Cuban sold majority control of the Mavericks.
Mavericks fans are upset by the deal and some are recalling a famous quote Cuban once said.
What Happened: Since joining the NBA in 2018, Doncic has been one of the best players in the league, something Cuban acknowledged in a January 2024 ask me anything.
"Luka is going to get better. He hasn't reached his prime yet. He is amazing," Cuban said at the time.
The answer came in response to a fan's question about whether Cuban felt guilty about wasting Luka's prime, as the Mavericks had only reached the NBA Playoffs in three of Doncic's five full seasons at the time.
While that quote from a year ago about Doncic not yet hitting his prime likely has Mavericks fans upset, it’s actually a 2020 quote from Cuban, as reported by Bleacher Report.
"If I had to choose between my wife and keeping Luka on the Mavs, catch me at my lawyer's office prepping for a divorce," Cuban said previously.
The quote came from Cuban at a time when he still had majority control of the Mavericks. In 2023, Cuban sold majority control of the NBA team to the Adelson and Dumont families for $3.5 billion, retaining a 27% interest.
Cuban confirmed to local media that he was not involved in the Doncic trade negotiations, a move that some fans questioned since the former majority owner previously said he would still be in charge of basketball operations.
It appears that over time, Cuban's role with the team has minimized and based on the latest move, fans might not be happy.
Doncic finished third in NBA MVP voting last season and was the Rookie of the Year for the 2018-2019 season. The NBA star is a five-time All NBA first-team selection, one of only three players to complete this accolade before their 26th birthday, joining Kevin Durant and Tim Duncan.
The Mavericks lost in the NBA Finals last season and made the playoffs in four of their last five seasons.
On the Lakers, Doncic will team up with LeBron James and other players as they look to improve on recent years results. The Lakers won the NBA Championship in the 2020 season, also known as the COVID-impacted season that had different rules and took place inside the "NBA Bubble."
The Lakers have made the playoffs in four of the last five seasons with the 2020 season their only time in the NBA Finals since 2010.
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Why It's Important: The NBA blockbuster trade, which also included players Maxi Kleber, Markieff Morris, Max Christie and Jalen Hood-Schifino along with several draft picks and a third team (Utah Jazz), has shocked the NBA world.
Some insiders and analysts are calling it the biggest NBA trade ever, a move that will be looked back upon for years if the Lakers or Mavericks are able to have postseason success following the deal.
The betting odds for the Los Angeles Lakers to win the NBA Championship were cut nearly in half immediately following the trade from +4,000 to +2,100, as reported by Action Network. The Mavericks odds to win the NBA Championship went the other direction going from +2,000 to +4,000.
At the time of writing, odds at sportsbook DraftKings Inc (NASDAQ:DKNG) show the Mavericks at +3,500, ranking 11th and the Lakers at +1,800 ranking sixth. The Boston Celtics (+240) and Oklahoma City Thunder (+245) are the betting favorites to win the NBA Championship.
The Lakers rank third in odds to win the Western Conference championship and make the NBA Finals at +950, ranking only behind the Thunder (+115) and Denver Nuggets (+650).
Mavericks General Manager Nico Harrison is believed to be the person who made the deal happen and approached the Lakers about their interest in the superstar.
Harrison cited the support of Mavericks executives and coaches in the trade and said that items like fitness, defense and a looming contract extension may have factored into the deal.
A pitch that included mispronouncing Curry's name and having mentions of Kevin Durant in a recycled pitch deck led to Curry exiting Nike and going with rival Under Armour (NYSE:US)(NYSE:UAA) instead.
While time will tell how good the trade is for the teams involved, Harrison could go down as failing to keep NBA stars around at both Nike and the Dallas Mavericks.
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