The NBA world is still reeling from the Dallas Mavericks trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.
At a press conference Sunday afternoon, Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison tried to explain the move, which resulted in Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris being sent to LA in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick. According to Harrison, the Lakers were the only team he spoke with about a potential deal. However, a new report says otherwise.
Sam Amick of The Athletic reported that Dallas spoke with one other team two weeks ago about acquiring Doncic in exchange for another star, only to have their offer rebuffed.
“That bid was turned down, but the message sent in the process had been clear: There was trouble brewing in Dallas. And the Lakers, in the end, were the ones who reaped the benefits,” Amick wrote.
In his media session Sunday, Harrison said Davis, a 10-time All-Star, fits the franchise’s desires to win now and win long-term.
He also thanked Rob Pelinka, his Lakers counterpart, on working together to facilitate an agreement.
“I’d like to give Rob Pelinka a lot of credit,” Harrison said. “Trades don’t happen, at the smallest level, without stuff getting out. Rob and I were able to have really intense conversations over the course of three or four weeks. It started out as a coffee [meetings], it was more ‘hey, would you ever?’ ‘Uh, I don’t know, would I? Let me think.’ It built upon that.
“We kept it between us. We had to, we had to keep it tight. [Head coach Jason Kidd] didn’t know about it. But [Kidd] and I are aligned and we talk about archetypes and we talk about the culture we want to create. I know the type of players that he likes without actually talking to him.”
Wonder if Kidd would agree with those statements if you gave him truth serum.
Related: Nico Harrison Makes Two Shocking Admissions At Sunday Press Conference