'Crazy': NBA stars and pundits shocked by Luka Doni trade
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
By Jason Abbruzzese
Kevin Durant called it "crazy." Ringer founder Bill Simmons said it's "the most shocking trade I think in the history of the NBA." Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki could muster only an emoji:
The blockbuster deal to send NBA star Luka Doni to the Los Angeles Lakers has inspired a mix of shock, disgust and confusion, as fans and pundits try to digest a move so bizarre that many initially did not believe it to be real.
The league's resident scoopmaster, Shams Charania, broke the news Sunday just after midnight. The trade was so shocking and sudden that it led to jokes and speculation — even among NBA players — that Charania's account had been hacked.
More than an hour later, he had to emphasize that the deal was on: "It's 1000% real," he said on X.
Later Sunday, the Mavericks made it official, welcoming Anthony Davis to the team.
Doni, 25, is among the NBA's brightest rising stars, a Slovenian who has shown the ability to dominate games offensively. Last season he led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals alongside star guard Kyrie Irving.
This season, however, has been something of a letdown for the team. The Mavericks sit eighth in the Western Conference, and Doni has been out with a calf injury that has sidelined him since Christmas.
But a trade wasn't on the lips of even the most speculative sports pundits, let alone one in which Dallas would receive relatively limited compensation. Along with Davis, 31, a center who has also battled injuries, the Mavericks are reportedly receiving a single first-round draft pick. In July, the New York Knicks gave up five first-round draft picks as part of a deal for Mikal Bridges, a talented player but not someone considered to be the kind of franchise-defining player Doni has become.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, a Texas native, captured how a lot of Mavericks fans are feeling.
Plenty of NBA players weighed in, mostly expressing shock. "April fools right?" Knicks guard Jalen Brunson said on X. CJ McCollum of the New Orleans Pelicans wrote that every NBA player should keep his bags packed.
NBA punditry similarly exploded, with emergency podcasts and YouTube videos published by the dozens. A thread about the trade on the Reddit community dedicated to the NBA had more than 16,000 comments, according to the website. On social media, the jokes were flowing.
As often happens after big trades, various reports about the circumstances of the teams and players involved began to emerge, with Lakers superstar LeBron James colorfully pushing back against one claim that he had had a falling out with Davis. Dave McMenamin, an NBA reporter for ESPN, said his sources told him James was not aware of the deal ahead of time (NBC News has not verified that reporting).
As for Dallas' reasoning, general manager Nico Harrison told ESPN that "defense wins championships" and that adding Davis would make the team stronger overall (Doni has been the subject of some criticism for his defense).
That has done little to temper the general shock and disbelief that has rippled across the NBA universe — perhaps best summed up by ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, who is hardly ever at a loss for words:
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The nba appears to be less a competitive league and more entertainment. No GM in the world trades a top 3 player in the league without shopping him around. Tough to be a fan of a non top tier franchise in that league,
The best explanation I've seen is that the Mavs were afraid Luka was becoming Zion Williamson.