Dallas Mavericks General Manager Nico Harrison has revealed that head coach Jason Kidd didn’t know about the bombshell trade involving Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis.
In an excruciating press conference that has since gone viral, Harrison also made the astonishing admission that both he and Kidd will probably be ‘buried’ by the Mavericks in the next few years.
‘Or we’ll bury ourselves,’ he said with an awkward laugh, with the head coach sitting beside him.
Doncic, one of the NBA’s biggest stars, is heading to the Lakers, alongside Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris, in exchange for Davis, a 2029 first-round pick and Max Christie. The Utah Jazz also were involved, getting Jalen Hood-Schifino and a 2025 second-rounder from both the Mavs and Lakers.
Kidd’s first reaction?
‘Shock,’ said the legendary NBA star who led the Mavericks to a title as a player and the NBA Finals last season as a coach.
Dallas Mavericks General Manager Nico Harrison (right) has revealed that head coach Jason Kidd (left) didn’t know about the bombshell trade involving Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis
Luka Doncic has been battling injuries since Christmas amid questions about his conditioning
LeBron James has slammed claims that he wanted Anthony Davis to leave the Lakers
There had been some questions about Doncic’s conditioning, and how that could have impacted the trade, but neither team seemed too focused on that in the hours after the deal.
‘Sports are about transformative moments,’ Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said. ‘We are inspired by these moments Lakers fans know, expect and love with a franchise that continually ushers in new eras of greatness.
‘Luka is a one-of-a-kind, young global superstar who will lead this franchise for years to come. His killer instincts and commitment to winning championships will be a driving force for the team.’
The trade news broke shortly after the Lakers beat the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Davis was not with the Lakers for the game; he has been in Los Angeles because of an abdominal injury that needed assessing.
Doncic has not played for Dallas since Christmas, when he exited a game with a strained left calf. The trade may come at a serious price for Doncic, who now can’t sign a five-year supermax contract extension this summer that could have been worth around $345 million.
It was never clear if the Mavs would have offered such a massive deal. Doncic also would have had an option to leave as a free agent after the 2025-26 season, and it’s certain that other teams with hopes of landing the Slovenian star would have planned for such scenarios.
Max Christie is now headed from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Dallas Mavericks
‘There’s other teams that were loading up,’ Harrison said Sunday. ‘He was going to be able to make his own decision at some point of whether he wants to be here or not, whether we want to supermax him or not, or whether he wants to opt out. We had to take all that into consideration and I feel like we got out in front of what could have been a tumultuous summer.’
Doncic is still eligible for an extension this summer, with the max that the Lakers could offer him being five years at about $230 million — a $115 million difference than what the supermax could have been.
Officially it was concerns over Doncic’s defense – and not his conditioning – that prompted Harrison to swap the 25-year-old offensive wizard for 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis, rising guard Max Christie, and a future first-round draft pick.
‘I believe that defense wins championships,’ Mavs general manager Nico Harrison told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, who was first to report Doncic’s 270-pound heft. ‘I believe that getting an All-Defensive center and an All-NBA player with a defensive mindset gives us a better chance. We’re built to win now and in the future.’
The deal pairs Doncic with LeBron James as the new 1-2 punch in Los Angeles, while Davis would be forming a new star duo with Kyrie Irving in Dallas. And it reunites Doncic with his former teammate, Lakers coach JJ Redick.
Doncic was one of the Mavericks players on the floor when Redick came out of a game for the final time on May 11, 2021.
