SI

Mavs GM Admitted Team Owner Laughed at His First Proposal of Luka Doncic Trade

Even the Mavericks owner thought the trade proposal was a joke.

Eva Geitheim

Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic.
Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic. / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
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The Dallas Mavericks' idea to trade Luka Doncic was so shocking that not even Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont could believe when general manager Nico Harrison pitched it to him. At the Mavericks' press conference on Sunday following the trade, Harrison admitted that Harrison "laughed" at him the first time he pitched the trade.

Harrison continued: "Patrick, he's the owner obviously, he's the ultimate decision maker, but he's entrusted [head coach Jason Kidd] and I to lead the team."

Dumont was not the only one baffled at the idea. When Harrison originally approached the Lakers front office about the idea to trade Doncic and Davis, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka thought he was joking. The Lakers front office did not believe Harrison was serious.

When Shams Charania first reported the trade, the idea was so wild that numerous people initially thought Charania's account had been hacked. Even when Charania clarified that the news was indeed real, nearly the entire NBA world—including Doncic, Kidd and Anthony Davis—were in shock.

Harrison proved to be serious, and the Lakers accepted their offer, putting into action what many are already considering the most shocking trade in NBA history. Though many could not understand Harrison and the Mavericks' decision to trade away the face of the franchise and a generational player, Harrison believes the swap will help the Mavericks "win now" and become better, despite coming off of an NBA Finals run last season.

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Eva Geitheim
EVA GEITHEIM

Eva Geitheim is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in December 2024, she wrote for Newsweek, Gymnastics Now and Dodgers Nation. A Bay Area native, she has a bachelor's in communications from UCLA. When not writing, she can be found baking or re-watching Gilmore Girls.

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