The NBA community widely anticipated that Luka Doncic would finish his career with the Dallas Mavericks. Nonetheless, in a surprising turn, the Mavericks traded Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis. At the point of the trade, Doncic was poised to sign a lucrative five-year, $345 million supermax extension with the Mavericks; however, this opportunity has been eliminated following his transfer to the Lakers.
NBA insider Marc Stein recently disclosed why Mavericks GM Nico Harrison declined to offer Doncic a $350 million supermax deal. In his latest analysis, Stein emphasized that Harrison’s choice was influenced by apprehensions regarding Doncic’s physical fitness and overall discipline in game situations and daily activities.
“It was largely Harrison, who has increasingly believed since the Mavericks’ one-sided loss to the Celtics in the NBA Finals, that Dončić: Would not improve his commitment to conditioning, his off-court dietary discipline. Would not improve as a leader or culture-setter. And Would not improve his well-chronicled comportment issues with referees. Would not be able to stay healthy as he got older. And thus could not, after the Mavericks and Dončić grappled with these issues since Harrison arrived in June 2021, be given the five-year supermax deal worth nearly $350 million that he was expecting in July,” Stein reported.
REPORT: Nico Harrison refused to give Luka $350M supermax deal due to his on/off-court discipline, per @TheSteinLine
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) February 10, 2025
“It was largely Harrison, who has increasingly believed since the Mavericks’ one-sided loss to the Celtics in the NBA Finals, that Dončić: Would not improve his… pic.twitter.com/sEwWc7ssoC
Harrison mentioned that management was uncertain if Doncic would sign the extension to remain with the franchise. However, during a recent interview, Doncic succinctly addressed the circulating rumours concerning a supermax extension, providing a brief, impactful two-word response.
REPORT: Mark Cuban Attempts To Stop Nico Harrison From Trading Luka Doncic To Lakers
The trade involving Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis created significant buzz within the NBA community. Various analysts, players, and fans shared their reactions to the news. Amid this situation, new insights emerged online regarding Doncic’s trade. According to Marc Stein, Mark Cuban made a final attempt to prevent Harrison from trading Doncic to the Lakers.
“By the time Cuban found out about the Luka-for-AD trade, it was too late. [Patrick] Dumont never approached for advice. Sources say Cuban urged [Nico] Harrison not to go ahead with the swap… only to find out that the deal had already been sealed with the Lakers by verbal handshake,” Stein reported.
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The Lakers currently sit in fifth place in the Western Conference standings with a record of 31-19. Their next game will be against the Utah Jazz at Crypto.com Arena. Although Doncic has not yet debuted for the Lakers, fans are excited to see him play alongside LeBron James.
Also Read: Dallas Mavericks Coach Makes A Shocking Move After Luka Doncic Trade
