The Luka Doncic trade is the news story the sports media just can’t quit. It’s been nearly a month since Doncic was shockingly sent from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers, but as each new piece of information slowly gets leaked out, it only reminds basketball fans of what a colossal mistake the Mavericks made. Dallas fans are pissed, and deservedly so, for having their favorite player ripped away from them so suddenly.
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Mavs general manager Nico Harrison and team governor Patrick Dumont have been shredded by fans and the media not only for the idiocy of trading away one of the best young players the league has ever seen, but for not realizing the backlash that would result.
Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson spoke about the trade on their Nightcap podcast last night amid new reports from The Athletic that the Mavs were worried about Doncic’s predilection for beer and hookah. It’s been a theme since the trade happened for the Mavs to leak disparaging info about their former star.
It’s not a good look at all for the franchise. Johnson said he wouldn’t be concerned about what Luka does off the court, because plenty of athletes like to drink and smoke during their off-hours but are still able to produce at the highest level—just like Luka.
“What are you doing once you touch the field or once you touch the court? That’s what I’m paying you for. Now what you choose to do on your own time? That’s on you. Now when it affects your play and your production, now we got a problem.”
Luka Doncic has every motivation to make the Mavericks eat their words
Sharpe empathized with the Mavericks’ thinking because Luka is supposed to be the team leader, so if he’s setting a bad example, it’s understandable not to want to pay a guy like that $70 million a year.
At the same time, Sharpe thinks going to the Lakers to team up with LeBron James is the best thing that could have happened to the young star. “Maybe this is what Luka needed, ’cause I don’t know if Luka realizes how good he can be,” Sharpe said.
He’s right, because now Luka will have a chip on his shoulder, and he’ll have LeBron James, one of the most fanatical fitness freaks the NBA has ever seen, to lead him down the right path.
Johnson feels there must be more to the story than beer and hookah because Luka’s production has been elite, and he led Dallas to the NBA Finals just last year. Really, this just seems like the Mavericks trying (and failing) to save face amid universal backlash over how they’ve handled this entire situation.
Rachel Nichols sees no upside for the Mavericks here and wishes that, instead of constantly trashing Luka, they would just keep their mouths shut.
I don’t get why the Mavs are sharing this stuff. If Dallas is right and Luka’s habits eventually cost the Lakers, there’ll be plenty of chances to sit back with all the I told you so’s. But if Luka wins a title in LA, all this talk is gonna make Dallas look even worse. Say less. pic.twitter.com/T3sFQ8GrJt
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) February 26, 2025
Everything the Mavs leak has the potential to come back and bite them. They’ve already lost in the court of public opinion, and nothing they can say will change that. They also lost the first meeting against Luka and the Lakers, a tightly-contested 107-99 game on Tuesday night in which Luka put up a triple-double.
If Luka continues to thrive and ultimately leads the Lakers to a championship, it will be the final nail in the coffin of one of the worst trades in sports history.
