“I don’t understand that. I don’t understand that. … One minute, he will face the whole world, then, 12 hours later, he sucks the pills. For what?”
“Why? 'Cause people are f-----g incomprehensible. (That’s) why.”
Marty Bach, “Michael Clayton”, 2007
There is rarely a surprise in the NBA. When a coach is about to be dismissed, many people know that it happens, starting with the coach. When an elite free agent is about to enter the market, the intelligent people of this league know 18 months in advance where it goes.
The connected and often incestuous network of players, families, friends and work partners in the stars, as well as managers, agents and agencies of great power, television networks and journalists fail to find out of remains Intel which inexorably provide a roadmap at the next large transaction.
But the seismic agreement on Saturday sending Luka Dončiċ from Dallas Mavericks to Los Angeles Lakers in a package that sent Anthony Davis to Dallas caught everyone – everyone – in the association well connected to devoid. Dallas Director General, Nico Harrison and Lakers, Managing Director Rob Pelinka, settled this without even calling on Dončiċ high power agents (Bill Duffy de Wme) and Davis (Rich Paul de Klutch Sports) to facilitate the ‘Agreement which concluded the grain of the modern NBA, where the best agents and agencies decide where their customers then play.
“Two GMs do business by themselves. Old-School style, ”sent an SMS on Sunday afternoon.
Several leaders of the NBA affected by Athletics Sunday, Sunday had the same reaction: the shock. The idea that Dallas would unilaterally move Dončiċ, the 25 -year -old superstar who had just led the Mavs to the NBA final eight months ago against the Boston Celtics, was magnificent. (In fact, a managing director said that: “superb!”) Whatever the problems with Dončiċ – a bad packaging or something else – the idea that Dallas would cut the bait and accept Davis and a first -round choice 2029 in the Lakers, sent Shock Waves through the League.
“He took them to the final. This is the objective, ”said a director of the Eastern Conference about Dončiċ.
The leaders, who have obtained anonymity so that they could speak freely, expressed caution, however, automatically castigate the Mavericks and Harrison for the move. You might think they are protecting theirs, and maybe they’re a bit. But that does not mean that they are necessarily mistaken. Harrison has a long -standing relationship with Davis dating from his life as a Nike framework, and he has known Pelinka since the latter was the late agent Kobe Bryant for SFX.
“We must assume that (the) Mavs know Luka better than anyone – so what should that say?” Easy for foreigners to say: “They should have done X”, another director general of the Eastern Conference sent a text on Sunday.
The executive underlined the 345 million dollars supermax agreement that Dončiċ would have surely signed with the Mavericks after this season, if Dallas had not chosen in a preventive way to exchange it. A new ownership and management group, which did not bring Dončiċ and therefore did not have emotional ties with him but who needed a superstar around who to build and sell tickets, decided that he did not Was not worth this kind of financial expenditure in progress before.
And this can be even more important in time than if the Lakers can or not build a championship list around Dončiċ.
“Is it a sign of things to come even for the face of (a) franchise?” Asked the director general.
A executive of the Eastern Conference sent a text: “Luka has the ability to bring a deductible at the highest level and showed it. He is a winner, but it seems that Dallas knows something that others may not know and have made the decision they deem best for the moment and their future. »»
Another executive of a team from the Western Conference said that it was “amazed like everyone else”, but also warned to expect more information in the coming days.
“It seems that the immaturity and the behavior of the Luka diva played a big role,” sent a text to the executive. “Perhaps the ego and emotion played a role with Dallas’ leadership as well as the fact that they believe in AD. The return they received for a 25-year-old superstar all-nba, fortnight, seems very light, but they know the guy much better than anyone. It was obvious to the Lakers, although he could walk in a year. If you are Dallas, you probably have to win a championship this year and / or then, or if you would do better than pay $ 345 million in Luka would be the right thing for the long -term franchise.
Indeed, most of the managers who responded had fewer problems with Dallas Exchanging Dončiċ than with a concentration only on the Lakers and Davis as a team and a player to reach out to get a large return -roundre return With the 2029 first in the package.
“Difficult to believe that they would exchange it and even less not to obtain the two of the first of the Lakers,” said the director of the Western Conference, “but they are good in their work, so I’m sure that they have good reasons.
Ideally, several leaders have declared that the Mavericks could have, by publicly stating their intentions rather than being limited to a single trading partner, exchanged Dončiċ to another team for several assets – choices and / or exchanges of choice, with A young player or two – and then offered some of the choices and players to the hungry resources of resources as part of an agreement for Davis. But not all. You will always get the guy you want, as well as more future assets than the simple of the 2029 Lakers.
“You just have to think that there is a much better way to optimize assets,” said the director of the Western Conference.
Another GM agrees.
“Even if it is only to raise the price of the Lakers, if that is what you are targeting,” sent a text by SMS. “The only thing is today, once you have done this, the player begins to eliminate the teams where he will not go, and you throw your team in disarray while you go through it. It’s not like Luka asked for this. (Sacramento) does this with (de’aron) Fox, but if (San Antonio) is the only place where he wants to go, how many teams will really intensify knowing that he does not want to be there?
A executive of the Eastern Conference, however, was more optimistic about the trade in Dallas’s point of view.
Yes, the MAVS affirmation window is considerably shortened by exchanging Dončiċ. But obtaining Davis, a selection of the NBA All-Defensive team, opens a legitimate window to win a championship now. Davis will play alongside Bigs Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II, and Wings Pj Washington and Naji Marshall, in units that should be much more disturbing defensively than the previous list of Mavericks, which was just above the pack in the pack in the pack defensive notation.
Assuming that Dallas can keep Kyrie Irving, who has a player option for the 2025-26 season to $ 43.9 million, and Davis together in the long term, with the others, that is a way to follow, said that the director of the Eastern Conference.
“Dallas decided that they wanted to get the best center, the best defensive center we can get,” said the executive. “We have a window to win; Who is the best center we can get? The upper level is Wemby (Victor Wembanyama), (Nikola) Jokić, Davis. Probably more (Joel) Embiid, because of health. Then Bam (Adebayo), (Evan) Mobley and (Domantas) Sabonis are the following level. The only guy who is probably available from this level is Davis. I’m not here, it’s not for me to say. But it seems that they said, “We have a path to go, with Luka or Kyrie”, and they chose Kyrie. »»
Another leader of the Western Conference has accepted … to a certain point.
“If you ignore the return to Luka, Dallas has an incredibly large, long and athletic athletic front area that allows them to play any wing / guard they want,” said the executive. “Defensively, they can be equal or better than anyone in the short -term league. From the POV Lakers, (IT) was obvious. Incredibly reduced price to pay a 25 -year star quality of this magnitude. Much more in the history of Luka than there, I am sure. Dallas had to obtain the first two of () Lakers at least. You just have to be much more.
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(Photo of Nico Harrison: David Sherman / NBAE via Getty Images)