Jason Kidd considers shocking Luka Doncic Mavericks-Lakers trade part of 'business'

Dallas' head coach relates far too well with Luka Doncic after the shocking trade earlier in the month.

Oct 26, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd with guard Luka Doncic (77) against the Phoenix Suns in the first half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Jason Kidd is no stranger to young star point guards being shockingly traded away from the Dallas Mavericks. After all, he was in those shoes 28 years ago.

The Mavericks made headlines three weeks ago when they sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package that included Anthony Davis and Max Christie. The trade came with no warnings, no demands from any of the players asking out, and it happened in the middle of the night. It was such a shocking deal that everyone asked if it was real or if people reporting the trade were being hacked.

Jason Kidd went through something similar when he was a young star on the Mavericks. At 23 years old, he was traded with almost no warning to the Phoenix Suns in 1996 for Michael Finley, Sam Cassell, and A.C. Green after being an All-Star starter. And now, as the head coach for the Mavs, he's seeing the other side of the spectrum.

READ MORE: Mavericks front office ranked near bottom of the NBA in aftermath of Luka Doncic trade

“It shocks you because you don’t know about that side of the business,” Kidd said as part of a long piece by The Athletic. “But you have to grow up fast. It is a business... You believe you are going to be with the franchise forever. But the business of basketball sometimes gets in the way. Teams change. I’ve been involved in quite a few sales of the team. Any time there is a sale, there could be change. It just happens.”

No one expected this big of a change when Mark Cuban sold the team at the end of 2023 to the Adelson family, leaving Patrick Dumont as the governor. Nico Harrison likely would've been fired on the spot had he suggested a trade like this, and while Dumont initially laughed at the trade, he eventually approved it. There is something about new NBA owners that makes them feel like they have to make their mark on the team instead of taking a great thing and keeping it that way. Bill Simmons calls it the "New Owner Syndrome."

And as the Mavericks and Lakers get ready to play for the first time on Tuesday since the blockbuster trade, Kidd will have to deal with the challenges of game-planning against Doncic instead of with him.

READ MORE: Former Mavericks coach defends Luka Doncic's work ethic

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