Josh Hart Jokes About Getting Traded for Luka Doncic, Credits Rob Pelinka for Pulling Off a ‘Highway Robbery’

With 20 teams in action yesterday, several players got the opportunity to chime in on the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade. After a hotly contested game against the Houston Rockets last night, Josh Hart also reflected on the landscape-altering move. “I think everybody was in awe, shocked,” the 29-year-old said.

“You gotta give credit to Rob Pelinka, man. It’s a highway robbery. Good for them. It’s always good for someone like me when I get traded for, like, a superstar. I kind of got traded for Luka so, great vibes,” Hart quipped after a 124-118 win at Madison Square Garden.

Hart joked about his inadvertent involvement in the deal between the Mavericks and Lakers because he was part of the trade package that landed AD in Los Angeles. Fox analyst Nick Wright was among the first pundits to connect the Lakers’ 2019 trade for Anthony Davis to their recent acquisition of Luka Doncic.

Wright pointed out how the trade package of Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Hart brought both, a championship, and a future superstar to the Purple and Gold, making it one of the most lucrative and lopsided moves in NBA history.

It should also help put to bed any reservations that Hart had about his departure from the Lakers. As he said himself, being indirectly traded for a generational talent like Doncic only reflects positively on his value.

The Knicks forward, who is generally active on social media, was far more coherent with his analysis during the locker room interview. His online reaction to the trade was succinct, to say the least.

Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson were initially speechless

On Saturday night, when Shams Charania shared the biggest update of his career, the entire NBA community was stunned into disbelief. Hart could hardly get a word out when he heard about the Mavericks’ shocking decision to part ways with their franchise cornerstone.

Brunson, who began his career alongside Doncic, was equally at a loss for words. “Holy s**t,” the two-time All-Star tweeted after hearing about his former teammate’s trade.

It’s interesting how both Hart and Brunson have their own history with the two teams at the center of this landmark move. The Mavericks selected Brunson in the same draft as Luka and the first four seasons of his career were spent playing backup minutes behind the Slovenian superstar.

The former Villanova Wildcat revealed that he was actually interested in forming a backcourt duo alongside Doncic. However, it was the Mavericks who played hardball with JB, refusing to offer him even a 4-year $55 million extension during his final season in Dallas, allowing him to walk for free the following summer.

It was the franchise’s commitment to finding a second star for Luka that led them to forego an emerging talent in Brunson. And just two and a half seasons later, Dallas is now without both their All-Star guards from the 2018 NBA Draft.