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Los Angeles Lakers moved away from The most amazing trade in the century With an unexpected reward. Lakers now employs Luca Donic, 25 years old, and they have not even separated from all of their subjective choices in the first round to land with it.
Late on Saturday, Dallas Maverx agreed to send him Dončić to Lakers For a broadcaster for all stars and defensive for 10 times, Max Christie and Lakers are in the first round in 2029. In this process, Lakers stick to their first founder in 2031.
MavsDesperate to find it Dončić a new house As soon as possible, he did not press it.
Lakers’s logic, according to the league sources, was that separation with both the first round would be so fraught. The Dončić contract could expire in 2026 when they could not know his interest in re -sign. They had no opportunity to find out that before withdrawing the exchange He shook the American Professional League.
Lakers could not talk to Donic’s agent, Bill Duffy, about trade because both sides, Dallas and Los Angeles wanted to maintain the secret of negotiations. Referring to the details of the scenes to the agents would expose information to the risk of becoming public, which is believed to be a flammable that will be flammable. If the trade is not achieved, they believed that the possibility of leaving it with a disturbing concession axis may be catastrophic.
Although the general manager of MAVS Niko Harrison It appears to be referring to a press conference On Sunday, he spoke only with Lakers about Donic, Dallas contacted at least one team to inquire about a deal that would turn Donadic to another star, as the league league sources told Athlete. But Maverx did not enter deep negotiations with anyone but Lakers. Harrison, who had previously had a long time representative of the late Kobe Bryant, had a strong relationship with Lakers Rob Pelinka, who was a long time agent.
At Harrison’s press conference, Pelinka’s ability to keep the conversations, even as it continues for weeks, although hiding the availability of a young star was in the interest of Pelinka as well. If the rest of the league learns that MAVS wanted to transfer Dončić, she might submerge the incoming box in Dallas, and perhaps with the offers that surpassed Lakers.
So without being able to measure the appetite of Dončić to stay in the long run, Lakers expressed that they cannot go to his way. Marax agreed, and finally agreed to deal with Dončić, along with Maxi Kleber and Markif Morris in favor of Davis, Christie and an initial founder. For salary reasons, Al -Jazz also took On Jalen Hood-Schifino and two second round options.
Now that the trade has become official, the answers appear. A source in the league said that Dončić is euphoria about joining Lakers, and all early signs indicate a long -term future with the team.
Harrison hinted during his press conference why Marax was very keen to empty a 31 -year -old Davis as a 32 -year -old Davis as a colleague in running Kerry Erfing, 32, instead of the youngest talent that was in third place in MVP in MVP voting Last season. He mentioned “the culture that we wanted to create” and added, “We believe (the players we come to), for example,” in contrast to his ideas about Dončić.
The details remain behind the reason for the attraction of Marax away from Dončić, exceeding mysterious questions about his adaptation and customs outside the court.
The team is undergoing new ownership now, with Patrick Domont assuming the duties of Mark Koban, who is now carrying a minority stake in the team and is no longer an essential part of the decision -making process.
“There are some unique things about his contract that we had to pay attention to,” Harrison said. “There are other teams loaded (to get it as a free agent). He had to make his own decision at some point whether he wanted to be here or not, whether we wanted to surpass it or not, or whether he wanted to cancel the subscription. That is why I think we must take all of this and feel that we went out in front of what could be a troubled year.
But in the history of the last American professional league, this trade had no comparative point – a good and good player like Dončić, dealing with the conference competitor without even requesting his circulation. A source in the league near Dončić said that he wanted to be in Dallas his entire career, which Dončić himself mainly said in a note of goodbye to the city that he posted on social media on Sunday: “I thought I would spend my career here and I wanted very bad to bring you a championship.” .
“He wanted to be like Dirk (Nowitzki),” the source said, referring to the Maverx legend, who played 21 seasons in Dallas and was the American Professional League finals for the only title of the team in 2011.
#MFL pic.twitter.com/qvmcv2uh5m
Luka Densic (@luka7doncic) February 2, 2025
If the mandrex is ever driven by the belief that Donk ultimately wanted to go to another place, then the source close to it insists that this is not the case. This was not Donnic’s refusal. Dallas honored him, and did this in an unconventional way.
To the extent that the American professional league stars are traded at all ownčić at all, Houl Return often includes a truck tonnage of draft choices because rebuilding is on the horizon.
Brooklyn Kevin Durant, 34, traded to Sanz in 2023, and Venix Fourth cost the first round with major players, who traded for more shots. The Blazers team dealt with the 32 -year -old Damyan Lilly to Pacz and got a first unpopular founder, multiple paids from the first round and Johnny goalkeeper all the stars, who immediately turned to get more choices of the first round. Nearly three years ago, when Jazz in Utah Donovan Mitchell and Rodi Jubert were transferred in separate deals, they received seven of the first round in the future.
In each of these cases, the teams that are trading in their main star (or stars) began again. On Sunday, Harrison and coach Jason Kid insisted on an agreement to get Davis to win now and in the future, with one strange warning.
“The future for me is three years from now,” Harrison said. “After ten years from now, I don’t know. Maybe they will bury me and J (Ason Kidd) by that time. Or we bury ourselves.”
Some of the last Blockbuster deals in the American Professional League:
2019
Cleibers Gilgos Alexander, Danilo Galenari, sent five choices from the first round and four bodies in the first round against Paul George2022
I sent Timberwolves Patrick Beverly, Malik Pesley, Jared Vanderbel, Lindro … pic.twitter.com/9i2pwvhvjd– The Athletic (@thethletic) February 2, 2025
Dončić could have been eligible for the Supermax extension this summer if MAVERICKS was being held. However, Dallas was concerned about delivering a lot of money.
The extension of the Dončić could have reached $ 345 million over a period of five years, starting with a salary of 35 percent of the maximum, the largest contract the player could receive. Davis is already on a maximum contract of 35 percent kicking next season. If Dallas provides it within a year and a half, when he is eligible, it is supposed to deliver it with a maximum of 35 percent, which will continue until its 37 -year -old season.
The dollars are the same for Davis or Donic. In this sense, the logic of Maraxx was not to avoid the distribution of Supermax. This Dallas announced that he preferred to have Davis in the mid -thirties of both Dončić from the same price.
Maverx believes that the acquisition of Davis will give them another defensive spine, although it is not like without preventing them from defending the elite during the American Professional League finals a year ago. Dallas ranked seventh in the permitted points for each possession after the mid -season deals of Daniel Jaford and B. J. Washington and closed elite attacks for three rounds before running to Juggernaut Boston Celtics and separated three victories from the title.
This year’s list may not be added.
To complete the deal, Davis waived a $ 5.9 million commercial Kevis, a bonus that was worthy if Lakers turned him into another team. Money could have come out of the Los Angeles pocket, but he would have been counted against the Dallas cover sheet. Now that it isn’t there, MAVS has a breathing room.
Although they did not do this deal to get out of the tax, the trade takes a mandrex below the luxury tax threshold and $ 6.2 million under the first apron. In fact, they can return above it before the February 6 for the deadline. Create this room under the first bomb, which opens more types of movements it takes during the next three days until after. They can now take more money than they send in a trade and they can also sign the acquisition players, none of them will be legal if they are above or near the first apron.
Lakers, on the other hand, kept precious things. Not only kept choosing the first round of 2031; They also sticks to Austin Reeves, 26, who is the top scorer of 18 points for each game. More importantly, they can now build about Dončić instead of James- which is the first not only for Lakers in their seven seasons with him but also for James in his 22-year career.
James is 40 years old. You will not know this through his statistics-average 24.0 points, 9.1 passes and 7.6 rebounds on 38 percent of the shooting of 3 points-but he is considering retirement. He did not say when his last season will be, but the sources close to him admit that they may be during the next two years.
Over the past decade, at least, its second work is in Cleveland, and James is approximately annual James, the team he plays to make ups in the list. Show similar feelings last month (As Davis did, for this issueLakers was surprised by both through Davis’s circulation.
Somehow, Lakers did what James requested exactly, and with shock and dread more than any other time in the James profession when a team had received his demands. The Lakers team now has two dominant goals on the ball, the dazzling passers -by and performance artists in Dončić and James.
That is why James was not upset with trade, a source in the league said. He was shocked when his agent, Rich Paul, who also represented Davis, was shocked while he was at dinner with his family in New York after recording a trilogy to beat Nix on Saturday evening in Madison Square Garden. James’s main interest, according to the league source itself, was Davis’s emotions after trade. Otherwise, James looked at this as a “action decision” that needs to be taken, not only because he wanted changes in the list. The future will be soon here, James is no longer involved.
Lakers, who was sitting from 28 to 19, in the fifth place at the Western Conference, looked at their list and did not believe any player they could get in the first two rounds would save enough to spend them at the tournament level. So they went in the opposite direction.
They know that trading away from Davis, a permanent warm competitor, will crush their ability to protect the edge. They understand that there will be nights of high scoring attacks with the current list-although the crime with James and Dončić can crush opponents as well.
The league sources said that Lakers can now use a big man, a person to protect the paint, but not many centers whose names are spread in the market. Just as they were not separated with the founder of the 2031 for Dončić, they have no plans to give the best of their remaining assets to the correction role.
They will be resistant to long -term money. Trading Davis means that Los Angeles can now target the maximum area of the car in the summer of 2026, which can contain a free agent category packed. As of now, they only have Jarred Vanderbilt, Dalton Knecht and Bronny James under a contract for 2026-27, when Dončićć has a player’s option, as Reves does. Lakers could have been sticking to both and still had enough space to sign another star.
At that point, only the age of Dončić will be 27 years old.
In contrast to the post -James possibilities before conducting this trade.
Davis is qualified for a huge extension in 2026, which would take him during the 37th year of age. But Lakers had reservations about handing him a lot of money in the late thirties. Can Davis maintain a high -rate, post -shot, to see on his own?
Now, Los Angeles has the five best players. The aftermath of James looks different-as it does what Dončić does in Dallas.
More about the amazing Luka-Nethony Davis Trade:
(Clarification: Eamonn Dalton / The Athletic; Joshua Gateley, Jamie Sabau / NBAE via Getty Images)
