He was actually thankful that Pelinka did not leak it.
He said that with a straight face, giving a shoutout to oppo GM for...nah that guy just acting dumb
NBA 2024-2025 ; Lakers Land Luka
- Thread starter Desert Eagle
- Start date
He said that with a straight face, giving a shoutout to oppo GM for...nah that guy just acting dumb
Yea just checked protections and shit
I don't see the point in acting dumb and say that. He is genuinely dumb.
Yeah up until yesterday afternoon I was trying to defend this, as if they genuinely had a plan to acquire AD, have one go with this team this season and then put him on the market in the Summer to replenish their draft capital, and they had intel on Luka's fitness being an issue, plus some data on what other teams were prepared to offer for him.
Seems like none of this was true, they basically invented that trade themselves and Lakers could only accept as they'd have been idiots not to. So essentially their plan was to trade a 25-year MVP level star for a 32-year old player who albeit being an all-time great is already past his peak and has been plagued by injuries. Christie and a 2029 first are pretty much meaningless, they are of very limited value.
Even if they did not want to continue with Luka, which makes zero sense anyway because he's a generational talent who has already led them to Finals, they were under no pressure whatsoever to make that deal.
Seems like none of this was true, they basically invented that trade themselves and Lakers could only accept as they'd have been idiots not to. So essentially their plan was to trade a 25-year MVP level star for a 32-year old player who albeit being an all-time great is already past his peak and has been plagued by injuries. Christie and a 2029 first are pretty much meaningless, they are of very limited value.
Even if they did not want to continue with Luka, which makes zero sense anyway because he's a generational talent who has already led them to Finals, they were under no pressure whatsoever to make that deal.
I think I would've considered him the most non-tradeable player in the league before yesterday. Perhaps the likes of Ant, Giannis, SGA or Jokic might be even more but I don't think their trade value would be the same if you'd shop them around.
Insane deal from their part, and the Lakers lucked out into yet another face of the franchise after LeBron will be gone for the next 5-10 years. I just hope I can get over his moaning to the refs, which I found very annoying when he was playing in Dallas.
The more you think about it and the crazier it gets. The same dumb plan is far better for the Mavs this offseason then right now, when the 25-26 season opens the Lakers would have had one more first round to offer. Everything about this deal looks like Pelinka did it on his own and Harrison was there as a cheerleader.
Once he drops some 'f you threes' on route to a 50 point game(that might happen 1st vs the Mavs), I think you'll be forgiving of his moaning haha.
But yeah. I thought Luka along with Giannis, SGA, Jokic and Wemby would never ever be traded. I'm pretty sure in 5 years time, this move will be even worse(already the worst move ever in sports imo) when the Mavs are a lottery team and the Lakers are contending for championships with Luka as the face of the franchise.
Pelinka thought he was getting pranked though when Nico initially brought it up if I recall correctly from the reports.
I am honestly shocked the owners didn't veto this. Like surely they also realize the financial implications behind losing such a valuable asset? Mind-boggling to me.
He’d have been up there with Wembenyama, SGA and Jokic for me. Giannis I expect to eventually be traded.
Yeah especially in 2025 when player marketing value is such a big thing, trading Luka for AD is basically killing your commercial side so bad.
I know, I meant that the deal is so bad that from the outside you would swear that it was done by Pelinka alone
Ah yes that's a great point.
I still can't believe it. If I was a Mavs fan, I'd be so dejected. I took a glance at their subreddit and it's a depressing read.
Seriously, this is the only take that makes sense. And that says a lot about the trade.
Based on the Luka trade, I can't wait for Phoenix to trade Book to Houston for FVV and a can of coke and then pat themselves on the back for getting a fair deal.
I feel bad for AD so I should reiterate the fact that when fit, he is genuinely great and all teams in the league would love to have him. But he is 32 next month which is 6 years older than Doncic, he is injury prone and his game relies a lot on athleticism. The last point is why the "Doncic is fat" arguments make no sense, he doesn't rely on athleticism, he is a haf court demon who torches all defenses while playing at his own pace, he needs speed and great athletes around him but that's about it. People compare the situation with Zion but Zion appeal is that he is a freak athlete, him being out of shape means that he offers very little.
Well now I'm just hoping this gets Luka into a '99 Shaq kind of mood, he shows up next training camp in the best form of his life and spends the next 3 years doing a FU Nico Harrison tour your en route to 3 rings
Also watching him average 80 points per game against the mavs for the next 10 years is gonna be fun
Also watching him average 80 points per game against the mavs for the next 10 years is gonna be fun
then why Lakers would want Luka if he got serious fitness/health issues
5th ring incoming for Lebron and maybe a 6th
what would be the football equivalent of this Luka trade ?
Agree with everything, only thing I will add/disagree a bit is that Christie could have solid value going forward. He showed lovely potential this season to develop into a really good 3 and D player. His defense was actually been on a pretty high level already and Lakers defensive improvement midway into this season can largely be attributed to his role in it. Of course, in the context of this trade, his value seems small but he is a pretty solid prospect. His problem is that his role could be reduced in Dallas, but I wouldn't be one bit surprised if he gets some of Klay minutes already (or at least be a solid part of their rotation from the get go).
Overall, it's an absolute jackpot for Lakers of course. And the whole decision process and what the Mavs got in return stays mind boggling for a player of Luka's magnitude.
eventually no more one player one franchise for life ?
If Mavs are lucky it will be like trading a old Rooney for an even older Zlatan.
If they are unlucky it will be like Tottenham selling Bale to "grow the club".
I hope Dallas are open to trade AD imimediately. The Celtics can offer Porzingis and a 2nd round pick.
Barca selling Yamal to United in 3 years for a 33 year old Bruno Fernandes + £10m.
I feel sorry for him because people are talking about him like he's a bum, and it's not even intentional, it's just collateral damage because the trade is so stunningly shocking. But this brother put up 42 points and 23 rebounds in his last Lakers game.
Chelsea swapping 24 year old Eden Hazard for 30 year old Mario Gomez in 2015 because they want to add more physicality up front
I expected Doncic to eventually move to LA/NY at some point in his career. Jokic I think will stay with Denver until the end (I also don't expect him to have an extremely long career, he doesn't seem like the type that would want to play until he's 40). Wembenyama too soon to tell.
I rate Christie but players like him are not that rare in modern NBA. He's a very good asset to have as a complimentary piece though, they should be able to get a first round pick for him in the future when they eventually go for the rebuild, which is inevitable and also at the same time absolutely ridiculous given that they already had a team that could have carried them through a decade of competitiveness.
This! It's basically us selling Ronaldo for 80 mil and thinking we got a lot of money. This is the best comparison to me.
Even ignoring that Dončić is much better now, nevermind for the future u can't ignore Dallas instagram lost 13% of followers the same day. They lost so much of their marketing power and appeal it's not even funny.
And I find it funny people discussing that this trade make Dallas better now. They won't be able to create anything without Dončić. Team was designed around Dončić creating opportunities for others and pulling players on himself so other have space and now this is gone.
Trying to make sense of all this, here's some stats
Win Shares
Offense/Defense/Total (* denotes lead league)
Davis
22-23: 5.5/3.4/9.0
23-24: 7.2/4.7/11.8 (6th)
24-25: 3.8/2.4/6.2 (10th)
Doncic:
22-23: 7.3/2.9/10.2 (5th)
23-24: 8.5/3.5/12.0 (7th)
24-25: 1.8/1.1/2.9
LeBron
08-09: 13.7/6.5/20.3* (best)
22-23: 3.2/2.4/5.6
23-24: 5.7/2.8/8.5
24-25: 3.0/1.4/4.5
Sabonis
22-23: 9.6/3.0/12.6 (2nd)
23-24: 8.6/4.0/12.6 (4th)
24-25: 5.6/1.9/7.5 (3rd)
Tatum
22-23: 6.2/4.3/10.5
23-24: 6.4/4.1/10.4 (6th)
24-25: 3.6/2.8/6.4
Jokic
22-23: 11.2*/3.8/14.9* (best)
23-24: 12.0*/5.1/17.0* (best)
24-25: 8.1*/2.3/10.4* (best)
Towns
22-23: 1.5/1.1/2.7
23-24: 2.6/3.6/6.3
24-25: 4.9/2.3/7.2 (5th)
Giannis
22-23: 4.9/3.7/8.6
23-24: 9.5/3.7/13.2 (3rd)
24-25: 4.2/2.2/6.5 (8th)
Jarrett Allen (best on Cavs)
24-25: 4.9/1.3/6.1
SGA
24-25: 6.9/3.4/10.3 (2nd)
https://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/ws_top_10.html
Win Shares
Offense/Defense/Total (* denotes lead league)
Davis
22-23: 5.5/3.4/9.0
23-24: 7.2/4.7/11.8 (6th)
24-25: 3.8/2.4/6.2 (10th)
Doncic:
22-23: 7.3/2.9/10.2 (5th)
23-24: 8.5/3.5/12.0 (7th)
24-25: 1.8/1.1/2.9
LeBron
08-09: 13.7/6.5/20.3* (best)
22-23: 3.2/2.4/5.6
23-24: 5.7/2.8/8.5
24-25: 3.0/1.4/4.5
Sabonis
22-23: 9.6/3.0/12.6 (2nd)
23-24: 8.6/4.0/12.6 (4th)
24-25: 5.6/1.9/7.5 (3rd)
Tatum
22-23: 6.2/4.3/10.5
23-24: 6.4/4.1/10.4 (6th)
24-25: 3.6/2.8/6.4
Jokic
22-23: 11.2*/3.8/14.9* (best)
23-24: 12.0*/5.1/17.0* (best)
24-25: 8.1*/2.3/10.4* (best)
Towns
22-23: 1.5/1.1/2.7
23-24: 2.6/3.6/6.3
24-25: 4.9/2.3/7.2 (5th)
Giannis
22-23: 4.9/3.7/8.6
23-24: 9.5/3.7/13.2 (3rd)
24-25: 4.2/2.2/6.5 (8th)
Jarrett Allen (best on Cavs)
24-25: 4.9/1.3/6.1
SGA
24-25: 6.9/3.4/10.3 (2nd)
https://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/ws_top_10.html
Last edited:
I rate Christie but players like him are not that rare in modern NBA. He's a very good asset to have as a complimentary piece though, they should be able to get a first round pick for him in the future when they eventually go for the rebuild, which is inevitable and also at the same time absolutely ridiculous given that they already had a team that could have carried them through a decade of competitiveness.
Yeah, I found that last point hilarious as well when I thought about the trade. The fact they don't have their own 1st round picks in period 2027 - 2030 when the rebuild should be in full flow makes it even more baffling.. They could have avoided all that simply by keeping the guy who got them on his back and took to the conference and NBA finals already. And he is only 25. Nope, let's try this.. Just makes very little/no sense.
On a side note, am quite enjoying the whole thing and absurdity of it
The more I think about it, the more ridiculous this looks. Must be depressing to be a Mavs fan now, they were basically certain they had their future sorted for the next decade and were only looking forward to see what pieces would be added around Luka to compete (also, looking at Lively's development as another factor that could have helped them stay near the top). Now they have no pathway to being successful, except for maybe a very small 4-month window now to win a few playoffs games with Kyrie and AD, until like mid 2030s... shocking incompetence.Yeah, I found that last point hilarious as well when I thought about the trade. The fact they don't have their own 1st round picks in period 2027 - 2030 when the rebuild should be in full flow makes it even more baffling.. They could have avoided all that simply by keeping the guy who got them on his back and took to the conference and NBA finals already. And he is only 25. Nope, let's try this.. Just makes very little/no sense.
On a side note, am quite enjoying the whole thing and absurdity of it
On the other hand you have Lakers fans who had to wonder who would be their next big piece they could lure to build team around after LeBron retires, and wondering how long they can keep Davis fit... and then this happens and they no longer have to carry any of these thoughts.
Like I said, if this was a 26-year old Anthony Davis, I could make some sense out of it.
That's an awful comparison. Ronaldo went to Real for a world-record transfer fee at the time. Even though it might not feel like enough money in hindsight because he evolved into one of the greatest of all time, it was still a world-record fee and made sense in the transfer climate back then. And Ronaldo actually wanted the move to Real, while Doncic looked like he was happy to be a Dallas player for life at the moment.
It would only be comparable if the Mavs got a boatload of FRPs in return, basically the best return in NBA history, which could completely overhaul and transform their franchise into a legit powerhouse contender for the next decade or so. In that case people might still think that they'd be crazy to trade Doncic but it would always have the caveat "well at least they got X and Y in return for him". Now they traded him for pennies on the dollar and have created a very narrow win-now window for themselves which makes the decision even more bonkers.
An apt comparison would be Dortmund trading Bellingham to Real for Kroos and a nobody last summer. Or PSG shipping off Mbappe to Chelsea for Lukaku and complimentary player.
In NFL terms, it would be the Bills trading Josh Allen for Matt Stafford and Cooper Kupp. That's how dumb it is. Ronaldo to Real was a sound deal for all parties involved back in the day, especially given that he actually wanted the move himself unlike Doncic.
Yep. And even then I would be pretty sceptical to pair him with Kyrie out of all people and continue to build with that duo. But it would at least make some sense as you say.
Of course Ronaldo wanted out and Luka didn't but in sporting and marketing sense it's best comparison there is.
With Ronaldo we traded away our future, all marketing potential for what looked like a lot of money but turned out to be peanuts and Dallas did the same now. If Ronaldo wouldn't want to leave there is no way we would be selling for double the amount we got.
This makes Dallas deal much worse because they wanted to do this instead of being forced to do it like we were with Ronaldo.
Agree, so that's why it's not a good comparison is what I was saying
Also disagree that you traded away your future, you won 2 more titles in the 4 years after he left.
Chelsea selling Hazard part way through 15/16 when he was dealing with an injury and weight concerns having established himself as a top 3-4 player in the world despite contributing nothing on defense is the best comp.
It’s so bad that I can’t help but think some shady shit went on behind the scenes between the two owners and the NBA. It’s feel completely rigged.
Doncic is a far easier player to build around because he elevates everyone around him to a higher level, and usually a player of his skill set is a better center piece, but maybe if you have doubts around his work ethic / dedication you swap him for a defensively minded power forward who's a force on offense as well, and add pieces around him (that said, Pelicans tried doing that and never got close to being successful).
I regret there was no open market for him because he could have landed at Spurs, and Doncic + Wembenyama would be just unbelievable. Pretty sure you could put literally any random 3&D players around them in 2, 3, 4 spots and they'd be a contender.