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DALLAS — The Anthony Davis-Luka Doncic trade stole headlines before the NBA trade deadline. Although Doncic and Davis received most of the attention from the deal, there were other players included in the Dallas Mavericks-Los Angeles Lakers trade. Max Christie was also traded to Dallas as part of the deal, and he revealed his thoughts on being included in such a historic trade.
“I was obviously pretty shocked,” Christie told reporters during an introductory press conference on Friday. “A trade of that magnitude is going to be shocking to anybody, especially for the people who are involved in it. But for me, I'm big on perspective, being able to be apart of a trade of that magnitude is definitely kind of flattering for me. I was definitely shocked, but at the end of the day, after I started to process my emotions and kind of realized what was going on, trying to find a positive out of everything, I was able to find a positive in that.
“I’m super excited to be here. I'm super excited to be here with this team, trying to win a lot of games… Yeah it was shocking, but I've played two games already (with the Mavericks). I feel a lot more comfortable than I did when I first got traded. So looking forward to continue to build on that.”
Max Christie already making significant impact with Mavericks
The Mavs acquired three players ahead of the deadline, trading for Davis, Christie and Caleb Martin. Martin is currently injured but he could return within the next couple of weeks. Davis has yet to play with Dallas, but that is expected to change on Saturday. Barring any setbacks, Davis expects to be available for the Mavs' game against the Houston Rockets. Christie, as he said, has already played in two games with his new team.
The 21-year-old guard scored 15 points in each game, making a strong impression early in his Mavs career.
“Playing in my first few games so far with the Mavs, the culture… everybody is super together,” Christie said of the Mavericks' team culture. “Everybody is communicating with each other really well… I've noticed that coming in as the new guy. Everybody is… trying to make me feel comfortable. So I appreciate that a lot about the organization, about the team.
“Feels like a big family for sure. I think that's important for any organization just trying to win at a high level, being able to have everybody on the same page.”
The Mavericks are looking to make another deep postseason run during the 2024-25 season. Mavs general manager Nico Harrison surely understood that trading Luka Doncic would lead to backlash from fans, but he made a move that he feels can help the team win at a consistent level.
Christie will prepare to play in his third game with the Mavs, and his first in Dallas as a member of the team, on Saturday afternoon. Meanwhile, Davis will be preparing to make his Mavericks debut.
The game is scheduled for 3 PM EST in what projects to be a highly competitive affair between the Mavs and Rockets at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
