{"id":572672,"date":"2026-01-31T09:42:39","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T09:42:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/572672\/"},"modified":"2026-01-31T09:42:39","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T09:42:39","slug":"an-oral-history-of-the-luka-doncic-trade-one-year-later","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/572672\/","title":{"rendered":"An oral history of the Luka Doncic trade, one year later"},"content":{"rendered":"

One year ago<\/a> this week, the Dallas Mavericks made a monumental decision to trade Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, a choice that had immediate ramifications for the franchise.<\/p>\n

The move was crucified by Mavericks fans<\/a>, applauded by Lakers supporters, questioned by media members and subsequently defended<\/a> by its architect, Nico Harrison.<\/p>\n

Anthony Davis was the intended prize of the blockbuster deal, but what the Mavericks really walked away with by dealing Doncic was another chance at a generational talent with the selection of No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg.<\/p>\n

In this oral history, the people directly involved in one of the most stunning trades in NBA history tell the tale of Doncic\u2019s departure from Dallas.<\/p>\n

Mavericks<\/p>\n

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The night of<\/p>\n

Shams Charania on The Old Man and the Three podcast, recounting his post on X<\/a> at 11:12 p.m. Feb. 1:<\/p>\n

I basically was like, \u2018Is this real?\u2019 And the Dallas News was like, \u2018Yeah, it\u2019s real.\u2019<\/p>\n

Obviously my hands were shaking. You had to make sure every detail was right. You had to make sure there was no typo. And I just remember, like my hands were trembling, I didn\u2019t have a graphic to go with it because it was so sudden. You don\u2019t have time to prep for it, like you make a Luka Doncic graphic beforehand. You don\u2019t even know. <\/p>\n

And so [from] the time I heard about it to the time I put it out, probably five to seven minutes went by, five confirmed sources on it, and then after that my phone was a mess. I had up to like 300 text messages. . . Everyone with the same message: \u2018Did you get hacked?\u2019<\/p>\n

The Dallas Morning News post on X at 11:14 p.m., updated at 11:19 with more details: <\/p>\n

League source confirms the unbelievable is true: The Mavericks are trading Luka Doncic to the Lakers<\/a> for a package that includes Anthony Davis. <\/p>\n

League source confirms the unbelievable is true: The Mavericks are trading Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris to the Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Brad Townsend (@townbrad) February 2, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/p>\n

Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd, left, and general manager Nico Harrison, right, discuss the trade of Luka Doncic before an NBA basketball game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo\/Sue Ogrocki)<\/p>\n

Sue Ogrocki \/ AP<\/p>\n

Nico Harrison to The Dallas Morning News at 12:13 a.m., when asked about the shock and anger of Mavericks fans:<\/p>\n

First of all, I understand why they would be shocked initially. But I do believe that we positioned ourselves to win now and also win in the future. And that\u2019s ultimately the goal and why we\u2019re here. I think it\u2019s one of those things where it\u2019s my job to make the tough decisions<\/a> that put our goals first and foremost.<\/p>\n

Mavericks CEO Rick Welts this month, recounting where he was Feb. 1:<\/p>\n

I was in bed, asleep. As I remember, it was a Saturday night when the news broke. My phone started buzzing, which I normally would just ignore, but I took a peek and it said, \u2018Patrick Dumont.\u2019<\/p>\n

I\u2019m like, \u2018OK. Patrick goes, \u2018We\u2019re making a trade.\u2019 So that was the first that I knew of it. It made for a sleepless night and pretty busy weekend. Because obviously our staff had gone home Friday night. And Monday morning, they were going to walk into something a little different than anybody might have expected the week before. <\/p>\n

So it was a lot of just trying to get prepared for whatever incoming there was going to be, that the people in this office would be the frontline of dealing with. <\/p>\n

Cooper Flagg, on his reaction to the trade: <\/p>\n

I remember being with all of my guys. That might\u2019ve been the night we played UNC. \u2026 We were all hanging out. My teammate Darren Harris was the first one to see the Shams post. We just started going crazy. It was such a shock.<\/p>\n

Cooper Flagg\u2019s reaction to the Luka Doncic trade:<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember being with all of my guys. That might\u2019ve been the night we played UNC… We were all hanging out. My teammate Darren Harris was the 1st one to see the Shams post. We just started going crazy. It was such a shock.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/xkr5AnEDzv<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Mike Curtis (@MikeACurtis2) June 24, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

The immediate aftermath<\/p>\n

Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka on Feb. 4<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Luka Doncic joining forces with the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> is a seismic event in NBA history and the reason I say that is because we have a 25-year-old global superstar that\u2019s gonna get on the stage of the most popular and influential basketball brand on the globe. When those two powerful forces come together, it brings basketball joy to the world.<\/p>\n

Doncic on Feb. 4: <\/p>\n

I was almost asleep so when I got a call, I had to check to see if it was April 1st. I didn\u2019t really believe it at first. It was a big shock. It was home, so it was a really hard moment for me, especially the first day.<\/p>\n

\"Los<\/p>\n

Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic, right, and general manger Rob Pelinka field questions during an introductory NBA basketball press conference Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in El Segundo, Calif. (AP Photo\/Jae C. Hong)<\/p>\n

Jae C. Hong \/ AP<\/p>\n

Markieff Morris, who was part of Dallas\u2019 trade to LA, on Feb. 4:<\/p>\n

My agent texted me Shams from Twitter. Because obviously I was in a whirlwind. I\u2019m trying to think \u2018What\u2019s next?\u2019 I saw that Luka was in the trade and I was like, \u2018What?\u2019 I was like, \u2018If they can trade Luka, they can trade anybody.\u2019 \u2026 I feel like it\u2019s some sort of disrespect.<\/p>\n

Kyrie Irving on Feb. 4: <\/p>\n

You just don\u2019t imagine that you\u2019re going to get ready to go to sleep and then you get news like that. It\u2019s still a grieving process right now. I miss my hermano<\/a>. We had a lot of time together. Kieff too, and Maxi. We just built some bonds that went beyond the basketball court. If anyone can understand at home, when a few people leave in a trade, it\u2019s going to be difficult. That\u2019s what we\u2019re dealing with right now, but this is a business. It\u2019s way above my pay grade.<\/p>\n

Jason Kidd on Feb. 2, on his reaction when he found out: <\/p>\n

As Nico brought up, we are aligned. Luka, when I first came here, I was excited about the opportunity to coach an upcoming star who became a mega star. I was just blessed to have that opportunity to coach him. When you look at the vision of the team and what Nico wants to build, I truly support that and truly believe that the players we\u2019re getting are the ones that can help us achieve that, and that\u2019s to win a championship.<\/p>\n

Davis on Feb. 7 in Dallas, the day before his debut:<\/p>\n

I know who Luka was to this franchise and this city. I\u2019m never going to downplay that, just how I know what I meant to the city of LA. I\u2019m not surprised by the fan reaction and city\u2019s reaction. It\u2019s my job to come in and play basketball, do what I\u2019m supposed to do. \u2026<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know how tomorrow\u2019s going to be as far as the reaction. I can\u2019t control that. At the end of the day, I\u2019m going to give the city life back.<\/p>\n

Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont on Feb. 7, on whether he thinks the trade improved his team: <\/p>\n

I do. Look, it\u2019s been an emotional week for everyone. It really has. I clearly understand that, and I really appreciate that. I\u2019m a big Luka fan. My family\u2019s big Luka fans. I have a really deep appreciation for what he brought to this team, what he brought to Dallas, and the excitement he brings.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s an electrifying player, and I want you to know I really sympathize with all of our fans who feel hurt. Look, as far as I\u2019m concerned, Luka is a Mav for life. And I really want to wish him nothing but happiness and success in his career as he continues in LA.<\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/p>\n

Mavericks minority shareholder Mark Cuban to Bill Gates<\/a>, during a Feb. 7 event in Richardson:<\/p>\n

And so I wanted to start off with a question, because you\u2019ve been in unique situations and maybe you can help.<\/p>\n

If, after you left Microsoft, you found out that Steve Ballmer traded Windows 11 \u2014 like the new hot operating system \u2014 for Windows 10 the Hall of Fame, but older system, what would you do?<\/p>\n

Gates: I might have to hide from the press for a while.<\/p>\n

Cuban: I know a couple other people that are in that situation.<\/p>\n

Lakers assistant Greg St. John (former Mavs assistant, 2021-2023):<\/p>\n

I was on the team bus in New York. We had just beaten the Knicks and we had a great game.<\/p>\n

I was riding back to the hotel and sitting next to Max Christie at the time. I didn\u2019t believe that it was real, just like the rest of the world. Then once all that all went through, it was like a whirlwind of processing. \u2026 Excitement to get to coach Luka again, but a lot of hurt, obviously to see AD and Max Christie to get traded.<\/p>\n

The months after<\/p>\n

Cuban on The Stephen A. Smith Show, April 6: <\/p>\n

I was like, \u2018You\u2019re asking me right? This isn\u2019t done.\u2019 And he [Nico Harrison] he was like, \u2018No, it\u2019s done.\u2019 And I was like, \u2018OK. Nothing more to talk about. I wouldn\u2019t have done this. And thanks for giving me the call.\u2019<\/p>\n

Doncic, on returning to Dallas with LA on April 9<\/a>: <\/p>\n

Those are my brothers. I know we\u2019re not on the same team now, but I\u2019ll always have contact with them. We went to war together. It was nice to see everybody.<\/p>\n

At the end, with AD, we got traded for each other, so from now on everyone is going to compare us two. I think he\u2019s an amazing player and I think he\u2019s going to do really good in Dallas.<\/p>\n

Welts this month, on how his staff responded:<\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/p>\n

Dallas Mavericks CEO Rick Welts, center left, and team Governor Patrick Dumont, center right applauding, watch the team play against the Toronto Raptors in the first half of an NBA basketball game in Dallas, Friday, April 11, 2025. (AP Photo\/LM Otero)<\/p>\n

LM Otero \/ AP<\/p>\n

These [employees] are mostly 20-somethings who are here because they love the game of basketball and want to be part of the sport. It was a rough 100 days. I think, in retrospect, there were a lot of lessons learned. There\u2019s a lot of different procedures here now as a result, different than we had in place at the time. <\/p>\n

Every day you just try to come in and do the best job you can. And I call it 100 days because it was, if you count, exactly 100 days between the trade and the lottery. Not 99. Not 101. It was 100.<\/p>\n

So I\u2019m super proud of our staff and how they managed their way through it. Super proud of how we honored Luka when he came back. I don\u2019t think a team could have done it better, in truly honoring somebody who\u2019d been so important and so meaningful to the franchise.<\/p>\n

\"Mavericks<\/p>\n

Mavericks GM Nico Harrison speaks during a press conference at the Mavericks Training Center in Dallas on Monday, April 21, 2025. <\/p>\n

Juan Figueroa \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

Harrison, during his end-of-season news conference April 21:<\/p>\n

I think I\u2019ve done a really good job here, and I don\u2019t think I can be judged by the injuries this year. You have to judge the totality from beginning to end. I think I have a really good working relationship with Patrick. I think you add in [Mavericks CEO] Rick [Welts], the leadership that we have is really elite. You\u2019ll see next year when our team comes back, we\u2019re going to be competing for a championship.<\/p>\n

Cuban to The News, June 27: <\/p>\n

For all the hell that Nico\u2019s gotten, he\u2019s done a great job putting us in a really good position. The front office has done a great job of putting together a team where we can compete. A couple breaks here and there; Kyrie comes back; Cooper is who we expect him to be; and we can have a really, really good team.<\/p>\n

Flagg on Jan. 27, on whether he could have imagined the trade indirectly leading him to Dallas:<\/p>\n

No, definitely not. It\u2019s crazy how things work out and the series of events that led to me being here, but I\u2019m just blessed for everything and every moment that\u2019s led up to this in my life.<\/p>\n

Cuban on Aug. 29 via The Arena<\/a>: <\/p>\n

Not making the final personnel decisions. \u2018Oh yeah, let\u2019s trade one of the top three players in the NBA.\u2019 I wouldn\u2019t have done it, but it\u2019s done. And sometimes the basketball gods smile on you and get Cooper Flagg and the No. 1 pick. That\u2019s been the toughest part, just not being the final decision maker when it comes to on-court decisions.<\/p>\n

Trade consequences, legacy\"Dallas<\/p>\n

Dallas Mavericks fans gather outside the American Airlines Center, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, in Dallas, to protest against the Mavericks’ trade of Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers last week, before the game against the Houston Rockets.<\/p>\n

Chitose Suzuki \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

Dirk Nowitzki on Nov. 14, after Harrison was fired<\/a>: <\/p>\n

This move should have probably happened this summer. Honestly, I didn\u2019t want this negative energy and this black cloud over the Cooper Flagg era, but here we are now. \u2026 <\/p>\n

I just knew, I figured this fan base is a passionate and loyal fan base \u2014 I was lucky enough to experience it for 21 years \u2014 and I knew they weren\u2019t just going to get over it, as people say, or forget about it. They\u2019re extremely passionate and this trade just made no sense. It made no sense to them, and really there was no explanation for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Doncic on Nov. 13: <\/p>\n

The City of Dallas, the fans, the players, all of them have a special place in my heart. I thought I was gonna stay there forever, but I didn\u2019t. <\/p>\n

So they\u2019ll always be a special place for me, always can call it home. But right now I\u2019m just focused on the Lakers, trying to move on. But obviously there\u2019s always going to be a part of me there.<\/p>\n

ESPN\u2019s Tim MacMahon to The News on Jan. 26, on the trade\u2019s impact on the Mavericks and the league: <\/p>\n

You\u2019re talking about a team that was fresh off a Finals appearance, and the trade obviously changed everything. It was a win-now trade, but they didn\u2019t win now. And I think more than anything, it wounded this fan base. I\u2019m not sure about forever, but deeply. <\/p>\n

I think the best thing you can say about the long-term impact of the trade is the franchise was gifted, for some reason by the basketball gods, a second chance to build around a prodigy type of talent. But it\u2019s just an unprecedented decision for a franchise that had managed to successfully build a Finals team around a guy. <\/p>\n

For years, the fear was failing to build around him and what if he looks to leave if you\u2019re not successful? You\u2019re successful and then you dumped him. \u2026 <\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think the trade had any impact in terms of trends. There\u2019s other things that have happened in terms of the new CBA and second aprons and all those kinds of things, but I cannot think of another time when there was a perennial MVP candidate entering his prime who was traded because the team wanted to get rid of him. That\u2019s not going to set a trend.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kristaps Porzingis on Jan. 8:<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to say what happened, how it got to that point, but Luka is Luka. How are you gonna trade Luka? It\u2019s a weird situation. It\u2019s something I don\u2019t think we\u2019ve ever seen before and I think it was a shocker to everybody. It\u2019s hard. You could see by the reaction of Dallas fans how they felt about the whole thing. Even Luka coming back and tearing up. It was emotional.<\/p>\n

Kidd on Jan. 23, when asked to reflect on the year since the trade \u2026 <\/p>\n

I think the keyword is patient \u2014 pivoting and understanding change happens in life. How do you deal with it? That becomes a personal thing, but in a team atmosphere, the train keeps moving. You gotta continue to keep being a pro. The guys that are here, those are all pros. \u2026 Things change, but you continue to keep working on your craft.<\/p>\n

\u2026 and on Jan. 24, when asked if he wished he could do anything to stop the trade: <\/p>\n

It\u2019s the one-year [anniversary] and next year it\u2019ll be two years, and after that it\u2019ll be three. We\u2019ll just keep counting. But Luka\u2019s moved on, and we\u2019ve moved on. He\u2019s playing extremely well. He leads the league in scoring. He has his team in the hunt. For that, we wish him the best, but that\u2019s just the business of basketball. Gotta move forward.<\/p>\n

Find more Mavericks coverage from The Dallas Morning News here<\/a>.<\/p>\n