Subscribe
Follow Us
On Feb. 1, no one could have predicted that the entire landscape of the NBA was going to change. That was when Shams Charania of ESPN reported that the Los Angeles Lakers had pulled off a trade for Luka Doncic, with the Dallas Mavericks inexplicably giving up on the 25-year-old star that led them to the NBA Finals last year. Going to the Mavs in exchange was Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick- a return that was laughed off as not being close to enough for someone of Doncic's caliber.
The trade talks between the two parties were so tight-lipped that nobody outside of a small inner circle, led by Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison, knew the deal was in the works before it was reported. Now, Rich Paul, founder of Klutch Sports, the agency that represents Davis (and LeBron James), said that had he known, the trade probably would have never materialized.
“99.9% of the time, I'm going to know what's going on. The one time I didn't was the one time we all didn't … I'm glad I didn't know because it probably wouldn't happened if you did know,” Paul said in an appearance on Gil's Arena.
Rich Paul on the Luka-AD trade:
“99.9% of the time, I'm going to know what's going on. The one time I didn't was the one time we all didn't… I'm glad I didn't know because it probably wouldn't happened if you did know.”
(h/t @pickuphoop)
pic.twitter.com/TGBmrE2AIe— Dime Alerts (@DimeAlerts) February 19, 2025
Paul is one of the most respected agents in the game, and he is always on the lookout for what's best for his clients. Had he caught wind of the trade talks, then there certainly would have been a discussion between him and Davis about whether he would embrace a trade to the Mavericks. James most certainly would have been looped into the talks as well, considering how prominent of a voice he is both for the Lakers and for Klutch Sports.
But it did seem like the stars simply aligned for this blockbuster trade to materialize. Doncic is now a member of the Lakers, and the Purple and Gold now have their foundational star for the next decade or so.
How badly did the Mavericks hate Luka Doncic for them to trade him to the Lakers?
In the aftermath of the trade that sent Luka Doncic away to the Lakers, it has become clear how much the top brass in the Mavericks organization loathed Doncic and his apparent lack of work ethic and cavalier attitude when it comes to defense.
For the Mavericks to decide to trade Doncic away without drumming up a bidding war means that they wanted to get him out of the organization as soon as possible- upsetting their passionate fanbase in the process.
