Luka Dončić trade explained: Why Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks did controversial deal that shook NBA

Luka Dončić has officially joined the Los Angeles Lakers. This comes after the Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks reached a blockbuster trade, sending Anthony Davis to the Mavericks. The trade has sent shockwaves through the NBA, with many experts considering Dončić untouchable, but after weeks of secret negotiations between the Lakers and Mavericks, he was ultimately traded.

Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka described the pairing of Dončić with the Lakers, one of the league's most storied franchises, as an "earthquake in NBA history." The deal stunned the basketball world so much that many NBA experts initially thought ESPN's lead news breaker, Shams Charania, had his X account hacked when he first revealed the trade details. Charania clarified in a follow-up tweet: "Yes, this is real," to confirm he was not hacked.

Reportedly, Mavericks General Manager Nico Harrison proposed the trade that sent the five-time All-Star to the Lakers. Harrison and Pelinka have a long-standing relationship, having both worked with the late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, with Pelinka serving as Bryant's long-time agent and Harrison as his Nike representative. Pelinka said he and Harrison began trade talks over "coffee" in Dallas last month, adding that his relationship with Harrison meant "there was a foundation of trust in the discussions."

Pelinka said at Dončić's introductory press conference: "The only way we were going to have these discussions when the concept was initially presented was owner to owner and GM to GM, and there was commitment to that. If we broke that commitment, this wouldn't have happened today. Trust was at the heart of all these discussions. After the coffee, I called (Lakers owner) Jeanie (Buss) and immediately got her involved." Harrison said after the trade was confirmed: "It started with just having coffee, more of, 'Hey, would you be open to it?'... and then it grew from there."

Harrison also stated: "We kept it tight, we had to, we had to keep it really tight. J-Kidd (Mavericks coach Jason Kidd) didn't know anything about it, but J-Kidd and I are aligned, we talk about prototypes and the culture we want to create, so I knew the type of player he liked without actually talking to him." Besides the two GMs and team owners, no one knew about the initial trade talks. Other parties were only informed after the terms of the deal were finalized last week.

When asked about Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont's reaction to the trade, Harrison said: "The first time, he laughed at me." Appearing as a Lakers player on Wednesday morning (Australian Eastern Time), Dončić still seemed a bit emotional. "The first day was really tough. I felt like the last 48 hours was like a month. Emotionally, it was really tough," he said. "Everybody was surprised, so you can imagine how surprised I was. I was almost asleep, so when I got the call, I had to check if it was April 1."

Dončić added: "I really didn't believe them at first, it was a huge shock, it was a tough moment for me. That (Dallas) was my home, so it was a really tough moment for me, especially the first day." Dončić, who was acquired by the Mavericks via trade on the night of the 2018 NBA draft, said he wasn't planning on going anywhere before the trade. "I thought I was going to spend my whole career there, because loyalty is a big word for me, and I always try to stand by that," he said.

Dončić also responded to reports about Mavericks insiders being concerned about his physical conditioning. "At some point, I knew that was going to happen (the leaks from the Mavericks), but I'm going to say I always took the right path," he said. "I had a great time in Dallas with all my teammates, coaches, and most of all the fans. They always supported me, it was a great journey." The trade means Dončić will team up with LeBron James, a player he idolized growing up. Dončić said James reached out to him on the phone after the trade.

Like Dončić, Davis, a ten-time All-Star, also wasn't planning on leaving his team this season. Since being traded to the Lakers ahead of the 2019 season, Davis has been a centerpiece of the Lakers' title hopes and was a key part of the team's NBA championship run in 2020. Davis said he received a call from Pelinka and Lakers coach JJ Redick informing him of the trade after watching his teammates defeat the New York Knicks in a nationally televised game on Sunday.

"I was shocked. I didn't know," he said. "I just texted the team, congratulating them on the win against the Knicks, big win, and looking forward to Tuesday against the Clippers, as far as standings-wise. And then found out about an hour later that I was no longer a part of the team. I was obviously shocked. Didn't know that was going to happen. But, I mean, I'm past it now, just ready to get going with Dallas. Nico (Harrison) believes in me and what I can add to this team. We're all excited about what we can do, and I think we have a great chance of winning a championship."

Davis' contract with the Lakers included a $6 million trade bonus, which he elected to waive. Had Davis chosen to keep the trade bonus, while the Lakers would have paid the amount, it would have impacted the Mavericks' salary cap. A key factor in the Mavericks' decision to trade Dončić was his upcoming potential "supermax" extension.

The "supermax" is a contract lever in the NBA's collective bargaining agreement that allows high-performing players to receive a higher salary than other players, up to 35% of the salary cap. It was introduced to incentivize teams to retain their best players, rather than lose them via trade or free agency. To be eligible for a "supermax," a player must be entering his eighth or ninth season in the NBA, while meeting one of three criteria:

Named to an All-NBA first, second or third team in the season immediately before signing the extension or in two of the previous three seasons. Named Defensive Player of the Year in the season immediately before signing the extension or in two of the previous three seasons. Named NBA MVP in any of the previous three seasons. The team offering the extension must have originally drafted the player or acquired him via trade while he was on his rookie contract.

Dončić was named to the All-NBA team five times between 2020 and 2024, making him eligible for a "supermax" extension from the Mavericks that would have paid him $345 million over five years. After being traded, Dončić is no longer eligible for a "supermax" extension, but he will be eligible to sign a four-year, $228.6 million extension after August 2 if he chooses to do so. Ironically, Davis was originally traded to the Lakers from the New Orleans Pelicans after he indicated that he would not sign a "supermax" extension with the team.

Dončić has been the face of the Mavericks since his second season in the league, leading them to the NBA Finals last season. While Dončić is one of the NBA's most devastating offensive players, he is considered a below-average defender. The Mavericks currently rank 14th in the league in defensive efficiency, and ranked 18th in the same metric last season, despite making the Finals. By adding Davis, a five-time All-Defensive team selection and three-time NBA blocks leader, the Mavericks believe they are better positioned to win an NBA championship.

Harrison said: "Since we've gotten here, we've had a vision and a culture that we want to create, and we believe that the players we're bringing in exemplify that. We think defense wins championships, and we're bringing in one of the best two-way players in the league. They're adding to the culture we're trying to build. We feel like we're ready to win now and in the future. Some people fit the culture, some people come in and add to the culture, and those are two different things. I believe the people coming in are adding to the culture."

Harrison also hinted that Dončić's looming "supermax" eligibility could have been problematic for the team. "There's some unique things about his contract that we have to be mindful of," he said. "There are other teams that are gearing up, and he's going to be able to decide at some point and make his own decisions, whether he wants to stay here, whether we want to give him the supermax, whether he wants to opt out. We have to factor all those things in, and felt like we were getting ahead of what could be a tumultuous summer." When asked if he would consider turning down a "supermax" extension that the Mavericks might offer, Dončić said: "Absolutely not."

Dončić being traded to the Lakers is immediately one of the most controversial trades in league history for a number of reasons. Typically, players of Dončić's caliber aren't traded, especially at his current age of 25 with multiple years remaining on his contract. Despite Harrison's given reasons for the trade, experts have ridiculed the Mavericks for not getting more in return for a player widely considered to be a top-three player in the league.

Dončić is the only player in NBA history to accumulate over 10,000 points, 3,000 rebounds and 3,000 assists in his first six seasons, while being named to the All-NBA team five times and winning five playoff series. While the Mavericks were able to add Davis, an All-NBA caliber player, and Max Christie, a solid young defensive player, they only added one future draft pick from the Lakers. Typically, trades surrounding NBA superstars result in a multitude of future draft picks and swaps being sent to the other side.

For example, when Kevin Durant was traded from the Brooklyn Nets to the Phoenix Suns, the Suns sent the Nets four first-round draft picks and a 2028 pick swap, along with three other players. There's also another issue—no one knew Dončić could be had. Harrison only negotiated with Pelinka and the Lakers, partially due to focusing on getting Davis, but also because the pre-existing relationship between the two GMs has sent conspiracy theorists around the league into a frenzy.

Had Harrison opened up the trade landscape to the rest of the league, Dallas likely could have gotten a better return in terms of future draft assets. Trading a player of this stature without Dončić's knowledge has made other big-name players around the league uneasy, and could have wide-ranging implications on player movement in the years to come. Dallas pointing to Dončić's physical conditioning as one of the reasons he was traded has also drawn extreme backlash, with his father, Saša, ripping the team on Slovenian television shortly after the trade.

He said: "With this trade, I am personally hurt by the (Mavericks') hypocrisy. I don't think Luka deserved this in any way. I know that he sacrificed a lot. I know that Luka really respected Dallas. He respected the whole city, it wasn't a problem for him to help the children, he went to the hospitals and charity events. He played 100 games last season, about 40 minutes each, and he was often double-teamed... I think it's really unfair that some people from Dallas did this."

In short, the reaction from Mavericks fans and the broader NBA community has been a mix of anger, sadness and disbelief. Dončić was viewed as the Mavericks' successor to legend Dirk Nowitzki, who spent his entire 21-season career in Dallas. The pair played for the Mavericks together in Nowitzki's final NBA season, which was Dončić's rookie season.

Nowitzki was the Finals MVP of Dallas' 2011 NBA championship run, and is the team's all-time leader in games (1,522), rebounds (11,489), points (31,560) and blocks (1,281). There is a statue of Nowitzki outside of the American Airlines Center, where the Mavericks play their home games, with the words "Loyalty Never Fades Away" written underneath his name. Since the trade, Nowitzki's statue has been the center scene of Mavericks fan protests, with fans leaving their Dončić jerseys, along with signs calling for Harrison to be fired. Some signs with profanity have also targeted Harrison and the Mavericks' ownership.

Some fans have even placed a coffin next to Nowitzki's statue. Disappointment has also permeated into the Dallas locker room, with Dončić's running mate Kyrie Irving saying that he and the players are still "hurt" by the sudden move. He said: "It's really shocking. You just don't expect that you're about to go to sleep and then you find out news like that. It's still a grieving process right now. We just built connections beyond the basketball court. So if anybody at home can understand, when a few guys leave in a trade, it's going to be difficult, and that's what we're dealing with right now. It's a business, it's way above my pay grade. I'm preparing to go back to Dallas and speak in front of our fans, and I know they have feelings too, and I have feelings too, guys. It's just an adjustment period."

Pelinka said Dončić is listed as a "day-to-day" player as he continues to rehab from a calf strain. He is expected to return before the All-Star break, which begins on February 16. "Luka has trusted sports performance people that are going to become a part of our family," Pelinka said. "We have Luka scheduled for a five-on-five (scrimmage) tomorrow, and we're going to do that each day to make sure the calf is in a good and safe place. I really want to say at this stage he's day-to-day, and we're going to take it step by step. If it goes well and Luka feels good and confident, he'll be out there soon, but we're going to work with him and his great team."

Dončić added: "This is the first time I'm taking time to get it 100 percent. Other times, I think I just wanted to get back on the court and play basketball, but I wasn't healthy." Davis is also currently sidelined with an abdominal strain he suffered a week ago. He is expected to return sometime this week. "I'm going to get a workout in today, see how I feel, and then based on that, get another workout in tomorrow," Davis said. "And then based on that, see how I feel. If not Thursday, then most likely Saturday at home." Christie has already made his debut for the Mavericks, tallying 15 points, nine rebounds and three assists in Dallas' 116-118 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday.