CLEVELAND – The Mavericks made it official on Sunday morning, announcing the trade of franchise icon Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers and welcoming veteran superstar Anthony Davis to Dallas.
It’s a move that shocked the basketball world and left fans wondering why a 25-year-old superstar point guard would be traded just eight months after leading his team to the NBA Finals?
Answers began to trickle out on Sunday as general manager Nico Harrison said of the 6-10 Davis: “He fits our time frame if you pair him with Kyrie (Irving) and the rest of the guys. He fits right along with our time frame to win now and win in the future. And the future to me is three or four years from now.”
Then he added: “Ten years from now, they’ll probably bury me and J (Jason Kidd) by then.”
Harrison and Kidd gave their explanations for why the trade makes sense for the Mavericks.
Here are the facts of the blockbuster.
Davis, a 6-10 forward/center, is averaging 25.7 points and 11.9 rebounds per game. He’s in his 13th season and is a proven winner as part of the Lakers’ 2020 NBA championship team. He turns 32 on March 11.
Max Christie is a 6-6 shooting guard who is averaging 8.5 points and shooting 36.8 percent from three-point range. The Mavericks also are getting the Lakers’ 2029 first round draft pick.
In addition to Dončić, the Lakers are getting Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris.
Utah was included to facilitate the deal and will receive Jalen Hood-Schifino and two second-round picks.
It’s one of the most stunning trades in NBA history. The Mavericks have been without Luka since Christmas Day, when he suffered a strained left calf and limped to the locker room.
Nobody knew at the time that it would be the last time he’d step on the American Airlines Court as a Maverick.
Harrison and Kidd said during a pregame news conference before a patchwork Mavericks’ team lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers Sunday afternoon that the Mavericks’ culture was the primary motivating factor for this trade.
Maybe not because the culture was suffering with Dončić, but that it can be better with Davis and Christie.
“I think it’s important to know that J-Kidd and I have had a vision of the culture we want to create since we’ve been here,” Harrison said. “The players we’re bringing in, we believe, exemplify that. Defense wins championships. And we’re bringing in one of the best two-way players in the league.
“(Players that are) first-team all-NBA that are also first-team all-defensive players. That’s a unique unicorn to try to find. And we were able to find that. And Max Christie, he was their starting two-guard and guarded all the top players in the league and is young, athletic and bouncy, gets his hand on a lot of balls. We really feel that they’re adding into the culture we’re trying to create here and we feel that defense wins championships. We’re built to win now as well as in the future.”
The trade was kept quiet, despite its enormity. Harrison worked closely with his Los Angeles Lakers’ counterpart, Rob Pelinka, over several weeks, he said, and managed to keep anything from leaking out.
“Trades don’t happen at the smallest level without stuff getting out,” Harrison said. “And Rob and I were able to have really intense conversations over the course of three or four weeks that started out as a coffee that was more: hey, would you ever? I don’t know, would I? Let me think. And it built upon that.
“We kept it between us. We had to. We had to keep it tight. J-Kidd didn’t know about it. But J-Kidd and I are aligned and we talk about the culture we want to create. So I know the type of players he likes without actually talking to him. And J-Kidd coached him when they won the championship (in 2020). So I felt good about it making sense for where we’re trying to go.”
Harrison said there’s no set game for Davis and Christie to make their debuts. This Mavericks’ trip continues Tuesday in Philaelphia and concludes Thursday in Boston for a nationally televised game and rematch of the NBA Finals.
Kidd said that he had a similar reaction to the trade as everybody else, saying he was not privy to the trade details until the 11th hour.
“Shock, but I’ve been in this league for a long, long time,” he said. “So I’ve seen a lot, been involved in trades by the Mavericks and so it is part of the business. It is a little shocking, but we have to push forward as an organization, as a team.
“We understand what Luka has meant to the Mavericks. We wish him and his family the best in LA. And also Maxi and Smoove. But we have to push forward and we believe we have the team that can do that.”
Kidd knows what he is getting in Davis, who has been a 10-time All-Star and will be at the event later this month in San Francisco as a Western Conference reserve.
“I’ve had the luxury of coaching AD,” said Kidd, who was an assistant on the Lakers’ 2020 championship team. “We won a championship in LA. So I have a little advantage of understanding who he is on and off the floor. I’ll get to know Christie, watch tape on him.
“But it takes time. Anytime you add or subtract, it takes time for that group to get to know each other. Continuity is a big thing. We’ve seen this from guys this season. We’re always trying to get continuity and hopefully in February and March we can find that.”
There were other concerns about the future of Luka in Dallas, some financial.
He would have been eligible for a supermax extension this summer that would have been worth nearly $350 million over five years. Now, that is off the table. And, of course, there’s always the concern that, if things don’t go well, Luka could have opted out, although Harrison said that the organization got no indication of that.
“It was, how do we make our team better,” Harrison said. “There were some unique things about his contract that we had to pay attention to . . . He was going to be able to make his own decision at some point of whether he wants to be here or not or whether we want to supermax him or not or whether he wants to opt-out.
“So we had to take all that into consideration and feel like we got out in front of what could have been a tumultuous summer.”
The trade instantly becomes the monumental topper of what has been an aggressive four years with the Mavericks by Harrison.
And now he has a new owner in Patrick Dumont, who clearly signed off on this deal. So what did Dumont say when the subject was first broached?
“The first time, he laughed at me,” Harrison said. “Patrick. He’s the owner, obviously, he’s the ultimate decision-maker, but he entrusts J-Kidd and I to lead this team and he’s putting the trust into us.
“And obviously you got to get judged on the performance you’ve done as a leader and at some point, if it doesn’t work out, then I’ll be judged for that.”
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Below is the official news release
MAVERICKS ACQUIRE ANTHONY DAVIS AND MAX CHRISTIE
DALLAS – The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they acquired 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis, guard Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick from the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for guard Luka Dončić, forward/center Maxi Kleber and forward/center Markieff Morris. As part of the three-team deal, the Utah Jazz acquires guard Jalen Hood-Schifino and a 2025 second-round pick from Los Angeles and a 2025 second-round pick from Dallas.
“We are thankful for Luka and grateful for his efforts during his time with us,” stated General Manager Nico Harrison. “He helped build this team and was an integral part of the success we’ve seen throughout the years, including our recent NBA Finals run, along with Maxi and Markieff who are veteran voices equally valued across this team. This isa new chapter, and we are excited to welcome Anthony and Max to the fold. AD is an experienced veteran, who can
play both ends of the floor while helping elevate us defensively. He knows first-hand what it takes to win, and I know he’s motivated to be a part of what we’re building in Dallas.”
Davis (6-10, 268) holds career averages of 24.2 points (.523 FG%, .795 FT%), 10.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.3 steals, 2.3 blocks and 34.5 minutes per game in 778 career games (771 starts) with the New Orleans Pelicans and Lakers. In 42 games (all starts) for Los Angeles this season, he has averaged 25.7 points (.528 FG%, .788 FT%), 11.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.1 blocks in 34.3 minutes.
The 13-year veteran is a 10-time All-Star, a four-time All-NBA First Team selection (2015, 2017, 2018, 2020), a 2024 All-NBA Second Team honoree, a three-time NBA All-Defensive Team First Team selection (2018, 2020, 2024) and a two-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team honoree (2015, 2017). Davis was a member of the Lakers’ 2020 NBA championship team that featured Mavericks Head Coach Jason Kidd as an assistant coach. The 2017 NBA All-Star Game MVP and member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team has also won two gold medals as a
member of the U.S. Olympic Team (2012, 2024).
Davis was selected by New Orleans with the first overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft after one season with the University of Kentucky, where he was named the National College Player of the Year after leading the Wildcats to the 2012 NCAA title.
Christie (6-5, 205) holds career averages of 5.2 points (.433 FG%, .373 3FG%, .832 FT%), 2.2 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 16.9 minutes in 154 career games (35 starts) with the Lakers. He is averaging career highs of 8.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 25.1 minutes in 46 games (career-high 25 starts) this season. The third-year guard was drafted by Los Angeles in the second round (35th overall pick) of the 2022 NBA Draft after one season at Michigan State, where he garnered Big-Ten All-Freshman Team honors for the Spartans.
Dončić (6-7, 230) spent his first seven seasons with Dallas, averaging 28.6 points (.470 FG%, .348 3FG%, .748 FT%), 8.7 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 34.9 minutes in 422 games (all starts) with the franchise. He garnered five All-Star and First-Team All-NBA selections with Dallas (2020-24), and is the franchise’s all-time leader in triple-doubles (80).
Kleber (6-10, 240) spent his first eight seasons with Dallas and averaged 6.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 22.3 minutes in 440 games (151 starts) with the Mavericks.
Morris (6-9, 245) saw action in 41 games (two starts) for the Mavericks after being acquired by the Mavericks midway through the 2022-23 season. He averaged 2.8 points, 1.4 rebounds and 8.0 minutes.
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