Luka to Lakers for AD

[KG Living Legend]

 Never listen to the lies and B.S. from the talking heads.

" We are concerned about Lukas long term health and work ethic"

 Then they trade for a player who is almost 7 years older and his nickname is Anthony Day to Day Davis.

 Then Davis plays a great half for the Mavs and hurts his groin, out at least 4 weeks. Can you say Karma 😆.

 Oh and then they bring up the greatest players ever work ethics in a statement,  Jordan, Kobe, Bird, and Shaq?

 Not a smart thing bringing up Shaq.

[Goldstar88]

Can I confess that I liked the trade for the Mavs? I don't think they were winning with Luka, and I did have concerns about his health. It's not like they traded for a rebuild package. They got back a top 10 player in the NBA.

The only thing that I don't like is that typically you need at least an all-star wing to win a championship in the NBA. They have multiple good wings, but you have to be able to attack and score from that position.

I love the defensive unit of Lively-Davis-Washington-Christie with Irving at point guard.

As I look at it, their main competition will be the Thunder for the next few years. They are more likely to beat the Thunder with that defensive unit than with Luka.

I know its popular to trash the Mavs right now, and I think it's pretty deplorable to go all gestapo on their own fans who want Nico fired, but I liked the trade and think they are set up to win a championship better now.

Mav?s made it to the Finals last year with Luka. He?s 25 years old and a top 5 player in the NBA. Do you think Dallas is making it to the Finals this year or next?

[Phantom255x]

My thing is, Dallas should have done everything to try and acquire a legit 3rd star to pair with Luka and Kyrie, even if it was this offseason. Instead they traded for AD in a "win now" move, I mean were they actually expecting to make the Finals this year with him?

They don't really have a future anymore either. AD is 31 and I'm not expecting Kyrie to remain there long term anymore. Or maybe he does but at best he's still a #2. Idk if AD is a true #1 either.

[KG Living Legend]

Can I confess that I liked the trade for the Mavs? I don't think they were winning with Luka, and I did have concerns about his health. It's not like they traded for a rebuild package. They got back a top 10 player in the NBA.

The only thing that I don't like is that typically you need at least an all-star wing to win a championship in the NBA. They have multiple good wings, but you have to be able to attack and score from that position.

I love the defensive unit of Lively-Davis-Washington-Christie with Irving at point guard.

As I look at it, their main competition will be the Thunder for the next few years. They are more likely to beat the Thunder with that defensive unit than with Luka.

I know its popular to trash the Mavs right now, and I think it's pretty deplorable to go all gestapo on their own fans who want Nico fired, but I liked the trade and think they are set up to win a championship better now.

Mav?s made it to the Finals last year with Luka. He?s 25 years old and a top 5 player in the NBA. Do you think Dallas is making it to the Finals this year or next?

 Wait.  Does anyone actually believe this was a legit NBA trade and not some type of NBA ratings booster???

[KG Living Legend]

Avery Johnson was asked what would your response have been if you were offered this trade when you were the Mavs head coach?

"Absolutely not"

Then bursts out laughing. He continues.

"No way. No way."

"Luka is 25 years old"

"A generational talent"

 Thank you Who. You are still one of the few posters to bring common sense to the table, in an absolutely ridiculous trade.

 The NBA should be absolutely embarrassed about this scam of a trade.

[Roy H.]

Here is more from Sam Amick (via The Athletic):

"Make no mistake, the people who witnessed Dončić?s last days in Dallas do not paint a flattering portrait of the 25-year-old?s professionalism. They call him lazy. They talk about the weight issues that were such a frequent frustration within their walls. They mention the social habits that The Athletic has reported on ? such as a taste for beer and hookah ? which have been a point of concern for NBA types since he was a 19-year-old star for Real Madrid who was entering the draft. They predict his basketball demise, highlighting a health history that, as some see it, will likely lead to catastrophe in the next five years or so."

Can you imagine if a "taste for beer and hookah" was a reason to trade somebody in the 80s?  Danny Ainge might have been the only guy remaining in our starting lineup.

[Who]

Here is more from Sam Amick (via The Athletic):

"Make no mistake, the people who witnessed Dončić?s last days in Dallas do not paint a flattering portrait of the 25-year-old?s professionalism. They call him lazy. They talk about the weight issues that were such a frequent frustration within their walls. They mention the social habits that The Athletic has reported on ? such as a taste for beer and hookah ? which have been a point of concern for NBA types since he was a 19-year-old star for Real Madrid who was entering the draft. They predict his basketball demise, highlighting a health history that, as some see it, will likely lead to catastrophe in the next five years or so."

Can you imagine if a "taste for beer and hookah" was a reason to trade somebody in the 80s?  Danny Ainge might have been the only guy remaining in our starting lineup.

It looks like Dallas hyper-focused on a few flaws and lost sight of everything else. Then made a huge mistake by acting on it.

Terrible management.

[Donoghus]

Here is more from Sam Amick (via The Athletic):

"Make no mistake, the people who witnessed Dončić?s last days in Dallas do not paint a flattering portrait of the 25-year-old?s professionalism. They call him lazy. They talk about the weight issues that were such a frequent frustration within their walls. They mention the social habits that The Athletic has reported on ? such as a taste for beer and hookah ? which have been a point of concern for NBA types since he was a 19-year-old star for Real Madrid who was entering the draft. They predict his basketball demise, highlighting a health history that, as some see it, will likely lead to catastrophe in the next five years or so."

Can you imagine if a "taste for beer and hookah" was a reason to trade somebody in the 80s?  Danny Ainge might have been the only guy remaining in our starting lineup.

Mavericks organization taking a page out of the Red Sox ownership playbook with the smear campaign stuff.

Can you imagine if the Celtics in 1985 traded Bird because he enjoyed a beer or two (or ?

[Goldstar88]

Here is more from Sam Amick (via The Athletic):

"Make no mistake, the people who witnessed Dončić?s last days in Dallas do not paint a flattering portrait of the 25-year-old?s professionalism. They call him lazy. They talk about the weight issues that were such a frequent frustration within their walls. They mention the social habits that The Athletic has reported on ? such as a taste for beer and hookah ? which have been a point of concern for NBA types since he was a 19-year-old star for Real Madrid who was entering the draft. They predict his basketball demise, highlighting a health history that, as some see it, will likely lead to catastrophe in the next five years or so."

Can you imagine if a "taste for beer and hookah" was a reason to trade somebody in the 80s?  Danny Ainge might have been the only guy remaining in our starting lineup.

It looks like Dallas hyper-focused on a few flaws and lost sight of everything else. Then made a huge mistake by acting on it.

Terrible management.

Yeah, I don?t buy it at all. If his ?habits? were detrimental to the team, why were they in the Finals? It?s just nonsense. Seems like there was a personal rub between Luka and Nico/the owners and they didn?t want to pay him. If you?re going to trade him, why not field other offers and get a better return than a soon to be 32 year old AD who can?t stay on the court. The whole thing is very odd.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

Here is more from Sam Amick (via The Athletic):

"Make no mistake, the people who witnessed Dončić?s last days in Dallas do not paint a flattering portrait of the 25-year-old?s professionalism. They call him lazy. They talk about the weight issues that were such a frequent frustration within their walls. They mention the social habits that The Athletic has reported on ? such as a taste for beer and hookah ? which have been a point of concern for NBA types since he was a 19-year-old star for Real Madrid who was entering the draft. They predict his basketball demise, highlighting a health history that, as some see it, will likely lead to catastrophe in the next five years or so."

Can you imagine if a "taste for beer and hookah" was a reason to trade somebody in the 80s?  Danny Ainge might have been the only guy remaining in our starting lineup.

It looks like Dallas hyper-focused on a few flaws and lost sight of everything else. Then made a huge mistake by acting on it.

Terrible management.

Yeah, I don?t buy it at all. If his ?habits? were detrimental to the team, why were they in the Finals? It?s just nonsense. Seems like there was a personal rub between Luka and Nico/the owners and they didn?t want to pay him. If you?re going to trade him, why not field other offers and get a better return than a soon to be 32 year old AD who can?t stay on the court. The whole thing is very odd.

I may be a little biased because I've never enjoyed watching Luka play. He plays hero-ball a bit too much for my liking. He doesn't try on defense. He constantly acts like he hurt something when he messes up. He whines more than Chris Paul to the refs.

I think people forget that Dallas was really bad for the last 1 1/2 seasons with Luka at the Helm. They didn't even make the playoffs two years ago. Then they got hot the second half of the season last year, lucked into some good playoff matchups, and got roasted in the finals.

The best the Mavs ever did with Luka at the helm was a 52 win pace one year. Every other year with him has been at a sub-50 win pace. That's not bad, but people are acting like he's led the Mavs to be dominate.

Even if you weren't concerned about his future health and conditioning, I think his shine, counting stats, and highlights outweigh the fact that he has not been able to lead his team to be consistently a top 5 team (or top 10?) in the league.

I'm really, really interested if the Mavs and Nico end up being vindicated here, but not if Luka gets injured or flames out of the league. If they are able to get Davis and Likely healthy, that is a team that I think the Celtics would struggle with in a finals matchup more than they did last year. They will have Davis-Likely-Washington-Thompson-Irving and Christie-Gafford-Marshall-Dinwiddie-Exum off the bench. I think Kidd's offense is flowing much better without Luka, and their defense will be really, really difficult to score on.

The double-big lineup is a new little twist some NBA teams are doing over this last year or two. The Mavs would have the best defensive double-big lineup in the NBA.

[Kernewek]

Here is more from Sam Amick (via The Athletic):

"Make no mistake, the people who witnessed Dončić?s last days in Dallas do not paint a flattering portrait of the 25-year-old?s professionalism. They call him lazy. They talk about the weight issues that were such a frequent frustration within their walls. They mention the social habits that The Athletic has reported on ? such as a taste for beer and hookah ? which have been a point of concern for NBA types since he was a 19-year-old star for Real Madrid who was entering the draft. They predict his basketball demise, highlighting a health history that, as some see it, will likely lead to catastrophe in the next five years or so."

Can you imagine if a "taste for beer and hookah" was a reason to trade somebody in the 80s?  Danny Ainge might have been the only guy remaining in our starting lineup.

It looks like Dallas hyper-focused on a few flaws and lost sight of everything else. Then made a huge mistake by acting on it.

Terrible management.

Yeah, I don?t buy it at all. If his ?habits? were detrimental to the team, why were they in the Finals? It?s just nonsense. Seems like there was a personal rub between Luka and Nico/the owners and they didn?t want to pay him. If you?re going to trade him, why not field other offers and get a better return than a soon to be 32 year old AD who can?t stay on the court. The whole thing is very odd.

It's kind of wild to see Dallas continue to double down on the leakes & stories that really do little more than underscore their own failings.

I think it's clear the GM was not a Doncic fan. It's also clear that the new ownership didn't want to pay for a supermax contract for Doncic. These positions, on their own, are mostly fine and defensible -- in that they can either be correct or incorrect,  but they are opinions you need to have and decisions you have to make if you are the people in charge of the finances and the roster -- but in the context of what they've received back in the trade and they way they've defended it in the media since leads to a very worrying conclusion, that essentially everyone has latched onto; This trade makes it very clear that ownership is content with not fielding a Finals-calibre team if it means they can spend less money.

[Redz]

Here is more from Sam Amick (via The Athletic):

"Make no mistake, the people who witnessed Dončić?s last days in Dallas do not paint a flattering portrait of the 25-year-old?s professionalism. They call him lazy. They talk about the weight issues that were such a frequent frustration within their walls. They mention the social habits that The Athletic has reported on ? such as a taste for beer and hookah ? which have been a point of concern for NBA types since he was a 19-year-old star for Real Madrid who was entering the draft. They predict his basketball demise, highlighting a health history that, as some see it, will likely lead to catastrophe in the next five years or so."

Can you imagine if a "taste for beer and hookah" was a reason to trade somebody in the 80s?  Danny Ainge might have been the only guy remaining in our starting lineup.

It looks like Dallas hyper-focused on a few flaws and lost sight of everything else. Then made a huge mistake by acting on it.

Terrible management.

Yeah, I don?t buy it at all. If his ?habits? were detrimental to the team, why were they in the Finals? It?s just nonsense. Seems like there was a personal rub between Luka and Nico/the owners and they didn?t want to pay him. If you?re going to trade him, why not field other offers and get a better return than a soon to be 32 year old AD who can?t stay on the court. The whole thing is very odd.

I may be a little biased because I've never enjoyed watching Luka play. He plays hero-ball a bit too much for my liking. He doesn't try on defense. He constantly acts like he hurt something when he messes up. He whines more than Chris Paul to the refs.

I think people forget that Dallas was really bad for the last 1 1/2 seasons with Luka at the Helm. They didn't even make the playoffs two years ago. Then they got hot the second half of the season last year, lucked into some good playoff matchups, and got roasted in the finals.

The best the Mavs ever did with Luka at the helm was a 52 win pace one year. Every other year with him has been at a sub-50 win pace. That's not bad, but people are acting like he's led the Mavs to be dominate.

Even if you weren't concerned about his future health and conditioning, I think his shine, counting stats, and highlights outweigh the fact that he has not been able to lead his team to be consistently a top 5 team (or top 10?) in the league.

I'm really, really interested if the Mavs and Nico end up being vindicated here, but not if Luka gets injured or flames out of the league. If they are able to get Davis and Likely healthy, that is a team that I think the Celtics would struggle with in a finals matchup more than they did last year. They will have Davis-Likely-Washington-Thompson-Irving and Christie-Gafford-Marshall-Dinwiddie-Exum off the bench. I think Kidd's offense is flowing much better without Luka, and their defense will be really, really difficult to score on.

The double-big lineup is a new little twist some NBA teams are doing over this last year or two. The Mavs would have the best defensive double-big lineup in the NBA.

True to your name! 

I too would love to see this fizzle.  I enjoy some of Luka's silly shot making ability but overall just not my kinda guy.

[Goldstar88]

Here is more from Sam Amick (via The Athletic):

"Make no mistake, the people who witnessed Dončić?s last days in Dallas do not paint a flattering portrait of the 25-year-old?s professionalism. They call him lazy. They talk about the weight issues that were such a frequent frustration within their walls. They mention the social habits that The Athletic has reported on ? such as a taste for beer and hookah ? which have been a point of concern for NBA types since he was a 19-year-old star for Real Madrid who was entering the draft. They predict his basketball demise, highlighting a health history that, as some see it, will likely lead to catastrophe in the next five years or so."

Can you imagine if a "taste for beer and hookah" was a reason to trade somebody in the 80s?  Danny Ainge might have been the only guy remaining in our starting lineup.

It looks like Dallas hyper-focused on a few flaws and lost sight of everything else. Then made a huge mistake by acting on it.

Terrible management.

Yeah, I don?t buy it at all. If his ?habits? were detrimental to the team, why were they in the Finals? It?s just nonsense. Seems like there was a personal rub between Luka and Nico/the owners and they didn?t want to pay him. If you?re going to trade him, why not field other offers and get a better return than a soon to be 32 year old AD who can?t stay on the court. The whole thing is very odd.

I may be a little biased because I've never enjoyed watching Luka play. He plays hero-ball a bit too much for my liking. He doesn't try on defense. He constantly acts like he hurt something when he messes up. He whines more than Chris Paul to the refs.

I think people forget that Dallas was really bad for the last 1 1/2 seasons with Luka at the Helm. They didn't even make the playoffs two years ago. Then they got hot the second half of the season last year, lucked into some good playoff matchups, and got roasted in the finals.

The best the Mavs ever did with Luka at the helm was a 52 win pace one year. Every other year with him has been at a sub-50 win pace. That's not bad, but people are acting like he's led the Mavs to be dominate.

Even if you weren't concerned about his future health and conditioning, I think his shine, counting stats, and highlights outweigh the fact that he has not been able to lead his team to be consistently a top 5 team (or top 10?) in the league.

I'm really, really interested if the Mavs and Nico end up being vindicated here, but not if Luka gets injured or flames out of the league. If they are able to get Davis and Likely healthy, that is a team that I think the Celtics would struggle with in a finals matchup more than they did last year. They will have Davis-Likely-Washington-Thompson-Irving and Christie-Gafford-Marshall-Dinwiddie-Exum off the bench. I think Kidd's offense is flowing much better without Luka, and their defense will be really, really difficult to score on.

The double-big lineup is a new little twist some NBA teams are doing over this last year or two. The Mavs would have the best defensive double-big lineup in the NBA.

Dallas just made it to the Finals with him! Luka is 25 years old and a top 5 player in the NBA. He?s not a great defender, but he does everything else at an extremely high level, similar to Jokic. Also, the Celtics would have roasted whoever came out of the West. Dallas was the best team to come out of that conference, which is why they were in the Finals.

[Kernewek]

Here is more from Sam Amick (via The Athletic):

"Make no mistake, the people who witnessed Dončić?s last days in Dallas do not paint a flattering portrait of the 25-year-old?s professionalism. They call him lazy. They talk about the weight issues that were such a frequent frustration within their walls. They mention the social habits that The Athletic has reported on ? such as a taste for beer and hookah ? which have been a point of concern for NBA types since he was a 19-year-old star for Real Madrid who was entering the draft. They predict his basketball demise, highlighting a health history that, as some see it, will likely lead to catastrophe in the next five years or so."

Can you imagine if a "taste for beer and hookah" was a reason to trade somebody in the 80s?  Danny Ainge might have been the only guy remaining in our starting lineup.

It looks like Dallas hyper-focused on a few flaws and lost sight of everything else. Then made a huge mistake by acting on it.

Terrible management.

Yeah, I don?t buy it at all. If his ?habits? were detrimental to the team, why were they in the Finals? It?s just nonsense. Seems like there was a personal rub between Luka and Nico/the owners and they didn?t want to pay him. If you?re going to trade him, why not field other offers and get a better return than a soon to be 32 year old AD who can?t stay on the court. The whole thing is very odd.

I may be a little biased because I've never enjoyed watching Luka play. He plays hero-ball a bit too much for my liking. He doesn't try on defense. He constantly acts like he hurt something when he messes up. He whines more than Chris Paul to the refs.

I think people forget that Dallas was really bad for the last 1 1/2 seasons with Luka at the Helm. They didn't even make the playoffs two years ago. Then they got hot the second half of the season last year, lucked into some good playoff matchups, and got roasted in the finals.

The best the Mavs ever did with Luka at the helm was a 52 win pace one year. Every other year with him has been at a sub-50 win pace. That's not bad, but people are acting like he's led the Mavs to be dominate.

Even if you weren't concerned about his future health and conditioning, I think his shine, counting stats, and highlights outweigh the fact that he has not been able to lead his team to be consistently a top 5 team (or top 10?) in the league.

I'm really, really interested if the Mavs and Nico end up being vindicated here, but not if Luka gets injured or flames out of the league. If they are able to get Davis and Likely healthy, that is a team that I think the Celtics would struggle with in a finals matchup more than they did last year. They will have Davis-Likely-Washington-Thompson-Irving and Christie-Gafford-Marshall-Dinwiddie-Exum off the bench. I think Kidd's offense is flowing much better without Luka, and their defense will be really, really difficult to score on.

The double-big lineup is a new little twist some NBA teams are doing over this last year or two. The Mavs would have the best defensive double-big lineup in the NBA.

Dallas just made it to the Finals with him! Luka is 25 years old and a top 5 player in the NBA. He?s not a great defender, but he does everything else at an extremely high level, similar to Jokic. Also, the Celtics would have roasted whoever came out of the West. Dallas was the best team to come out of that conference, which is why they were in the Finals.

This is it, but this isn't just it.

Not only have you just traded your 25-year-old centerpiece a few months after he dragged your team to the Finals because you were worried about his health and conditioning, but, because you were worried about his health and conditioning, you traded him for a guy who is seven years older and has only managed to play in 200 more NBA games, despite being in the league for nearly twice as long.

Beyond that, the guy you're trading for has a worse resume as his team's best player. Compare AD at 25 to Luka at 25 and they're not even close.

So which is more likely - this is some kind of wild 5D Chess where Dallas is going to zag where everyone else zigs, or they're cheap and the GM doesn't like their superstar?

[Roy H.]

So which is more likely - this is some kind of wild 5D Chess where Dallas is going to zag where everyone else zigs, or they're cheap and the GM doesn't like their superstar?

I think the GM may think it's the former, and he's clearly talked his owner into it.  But, it's obviously a bad trade.  Allegedly, they only explored three players:  Anthony Edwards, Giannis, and Davis.  There are a whole lot of other teams that they completely ignored that could have offered a better return.  For not maximizing his market value, that trade will always be a failure.