The Dallas Mavericks‘ blockbuster trade that sent Luka Doncic is still one of the biggest surprises in NBA history. Doncic had just led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals in 2024. The team had not been on the greatest platform since winning the Larry O’Brien trophy in 2011. While the group couldn’t finish the job, losing to the Boston Celtics in five games, they showed promise.
On Wednesday, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon wrote about how former general manager Nico Harrison convinced new owner Patrick Dumont to trade the franchise star. According to MacMahon’s sources, Harrison reportedly told Dumont what he wanted to know, not what he needed as a new owner.
Additionally, Harrison used Doncic’s contract extension with the Mavericks, which could’ve been a five-year, $345 million supermax contract. The owner was informed by the former executive that the Slovenian star’s lack of physical conditioning and injury history made him an awful investment.
“That deal would be an awful investment, Harrison told Dumont, pointing to Doncic’s conditioning concerns, poor off-court habits, and recurring calf strains, predicting that his body would break down,” MacMahon wrote.
“Doncic’s camp and Harrison had several disagreements regarding the recovery process from the calf strain that sidelined the superstar at the time, which the GM portrayed to Dumont as proof that Doncic was not fully committed to the Mavs.”
MacMahon went on to say that Harrison attributed the Mavericks’ Finals loss to Luka Doncic’s defensive shortcomings. He reportedly pitched to Dumont about pursuing a defensive star, which led the organization to trade for Anthony Davis from the Los Angeles Lakers.
This season, Davis has only appeared in five games and the Mavericks are 4-11. The franchise has moved on from Harrison and fired him early in the new year. Doncic, on the other hand, is thriving with the Lakers, leading the NBA with 34.6 points.
Luka Doncic comments on LeBron James’ first game of his 23rd season
On Tuesday, LeBron James played for the first time in the 2025-26 NBA season. James played 29 minutes, but he wasn’t aggressive on offense against the Utah Jazz. The 6-foot-9 forward only had 11 points, three rebounds and 12 assists. Even with that performance, Luka Doncic was impressed with his co-star’s first game of his historic 23rd season.
“Honestly, just sharing the court with him. It’s the 23rd season. It’s insane,” Doncic said. “Just sharing the court with him is special. He sees things that other people can’t. He’s here to help us all, so it’s amazing. It’s only his first game back, and he plays amazing, so I’m excited to play some more.”
Luka on favorite part of sharing the floor with LeBron: "Honestly, just sharing the court with him. It's the 23rd season. It's insane. Just sharing the court with him is special. He sees things that other people can't. He's here to help us all, so it's amazing. It's only his…
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) November 19, 2025
The Lakers improve to 11-4 after a 140-126 win over the Jazz.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
