Luka Dealt to Lakers: Nico Harrison is a Basketball Terrorist

[BigDirk41]

Does Kidd start having Lively launch 4 or 5 threes a game now? We really need a stretch 5 next to AD. Lively has that ability in practice, but it's unknown if that translates to games yet.

[fifteenth]

COW!!!!!

The Luka trade brought Cow Cow back. It did one good thing. I mean, maybe you were already back, and I haven't been around much.


  cow cow.JPG (Size: 13.3 KB / Downloads: 264)

[F Gump]

DS, thanks for your detailed thoughts, I liked it all. A few comments flowing from your remarks --
1 You said "Maybe there was reason to believe Luka wasn't going to sign the extension this summer?" -- I think that's a wrong reading of the concern Nico was speaking to. It sounded to me like he did not want to OFFER the supermax, at least not this summer, because they aren't convinced Luka would work hard off the court, and then it would be a tumult leading to having to trade Luka under duress.
2 I feel differently than most about Kyrie. I don't think any of this changes his trajectory here. And the same issue (the apron penalties) that motivated him to cooperate on the last deal, I think we'll see that again.
3  Sexton is getting mentioned a lot, but I really hope he's not sought.
4 " I like Max Christie." -- I am hearing lots of comments by smart NBA people that Christie was the WAY BETTER fit for Mavs than Reaves or any of the others there, for two vital reasons: (a) he's a 2-way player, with very good defense and athleticism, which fits what this trade was designed to do (whereas players like Reaves and Knecht are not), and (b) his contract is VERY affordable, much smaller than Reaves AND there's cost certainty on that price. Mavs may envision him as the better, more affordable (7M per year) alternative to Grimes, which then allows them to use Grimes as a trade chip.
5 " I suspect Luka will take this as an insult to the core of his very being and (like Steve Nash) win the next two MVP awards." -- While I see that as possible, the more I think of it, the less I think it will matter. Nash didn't do anything different in PHX, he just had a system designed to maximize what he was already doing (and doing well) in Dallas. And he had a bigger spotlight. In LA, Luka will have a bigger spotlight, so he will have a better shot at MVP if he can stay healthy. But will he change off the court? He likes to just show up and play his game, which he can do because of his physical gifts, but the fact that he can play at a top level without the side work, makes it easy for him to see himself as not needing the other stuff that takes him to the higher level. We'll see.
6 Current summer numbers - Mavs don't have room for a full MLE right now. They are at about 180.5M, which is about 15.5M below Apron 1, with 11 players. MLE is about 14.1M.
.... " I'm not sure this team needs Grimes, Christie and Hardy.  Naji overlaps their PT a little as well." -- Agree that they have room to whittle in those areas, which can not only potentially solve something they need now, but can also change their summer numbers. I think the plan is for Christie to be the keeper, since he's only 7M and under continuing contract at that level. Don't know if the other 3 are all expendable, but I can see how that's possible. The 180.5M doesn't include any salary for Grimes, but Hardy is in for 6M and Naji for 9M.
7 "Doing this deal differently may have landed us more picks (been there done that) " -- I strongly agree that the clamor for not getting a pile of picks is misguided. The only picks that matter are in the upper half of Round 1, and the piles of picks tend to be a pupu platter in the 20s. BUT - I find it weak they didn't also get LA's 2031 1st. That's bad negotiating. If you are giving a trade partner an exclusive, you better expect (and demand) he chases you with everything he can offer. Nico wasn't good enough to get that chase for LUKA. Ugh.

[KillerLeft]

1 You said "Maybe there was reason to believe Luka wasn't going to sign the extension this summer?" -- I think that's a wrong reading of the concern Nico was speaking to. It sounded to me like he did not want to OFFER the supermax, at least not this summer, because they aren't convinced Luka would work hard off the court, and then it would be a tumult leading to having to trade Luka under duress.

Absolutely. Harrison (and common sense dictates others, too, such as Kidd, Dumont, etc) have decided that a supermaxed Luka is the wrong way to go. Period. This was their attempt to get off of that road.

[Ghost of Podkolzin]

You gotta think we could have gotten a king's ransom from HOU. Amen would be the primary target, taking FVV to make the salaries work.

[mvossman]

Absolutely. Harrison (and common sense dictates others, too, such as Kidd, Dumont, etc) have decided that a supermaxed Luka is the wrong way to go. Period. This was their attempt to get off of that road.

How far would Luka have to fall to not be tradeable even on his supermax?  I feel a lot more comfortable betting on Luka than on this team/FO over the next couple of years.

[KillerLeft]

How far would Luka have to fall to not be tradeable even on his supermax?  I feel a lot more comfortable betting on Luka than on this team/FO over the next couple of years.

I'm not arguing that. I'm with you in thinking that would have been a safer plan than this. 

But, I get how it might not seem that way from inside the organization, if they've decided that they simply can't build the team they want to build around Luka. "Missing the forrest for the trees" is very much in play here, the question is: What's the forrest and what's the trees? Is the point to build the right team, or is the point to build the right team around Luka? I think you need a top 5 player to win a championship, so naturally, I'm left depressed about the Mavs no-longer having one with no obvious way of getting another, maybe EVER, but for sure not for a good, long while. But, if they are CONVINCED Luka isn't who the fans think he is, and that the rest of his career will go badly, or even just that it would go badly HERE, I can understand the inclination to do something now, I really can. 

What I don't jive with is the idea that you can compete with a team built around Kyrie and AD. I think that's the type of thing you try to do if one of them is an all-time Mavs great, but they're just guys who sat down here in the Mavs chair when the music stopped. All indications are that Harrison believes acquiring Davis will keep the Mavs in contention for the next few years, and that Mavs fans will be happy about that, if it works. I think he's wrong on both counts.

[KillerLeft]

BUT - I find it weak they didn't also get LA's 2031 1st. That's bad negotiating. If you are giving a trade partner an exclusive, you better expect (and demand) he chases you with everything he can offer. Nico wasn't good enough to get that chase for LUKA. Ugh.

To this point, there was bit from the Simmons/Goldbery video RTG posted about how the deal was originally bigger and included both Knecht and the 2031 first, but that "Pelinka was able to whittle it down over a few weeks" to the deal that ultimately went through. 

Mix in Knecht and the other pick (as long as it still includes Christie) and it's slightly easier to swallow today, at least for me.

[BigDirk41]

To this point, there was bit from the Simmons/Goldbery video RTG posted about how the deal was originally bigger and included both Knecht and the 2031 first, but that "Pelinka was able to whittle it down over a few weeks" to the deal that ultimately went through. 

Mix in Knecht and the other pick (as long as it still includes Christie) and it's slightly easier to swallow today, at least for me.

Now that really pisses me off because that is a tolerable deal.

[mvossman]

Based on the universal reaction to the return on the trade from fans, media, and NBA executives/team officials, there is no doubt that Nico is an idiot.  I'm more than fine with trading Doncic, but the return is borderline criminal.

If we needed any more proof that Nico is an idiot, its coming out now that the original trade had the 31 first and the rookie Knecht, but Pelinka negotiated it down to what we see now.  Complete idiot.

[Jym]

To this point, there was bit from the Simmons/Goldbery video RTG posted about how the deal was originally bigger and included both Knecht and the 2031 first, but that "Pelinka was able to whittle it down over a few weeks" to the deal that ultimately went through. 

Mix in Knecht and the other pick (as long as it still includes Christie) and it's slightly easier to swallow today, at least for me.

yeah those 2 picks and maybe force the Lakers to add on some extra piece to a 3rd team where we get another decent pick or 2 and I'm much more on board 
we didn't make the Lakers feel ANY pain

[Smitty]

To this point, there was bit from the Simmons/Goldbery video RTG posted about how the deal was originally bigger and included both Knecht and the 2031 first, but that "Pelinka was able to whittle it down over a few weeks" to the deal that ultimately went through. 

Mix in Knecht and the other pick (as long as it still includes Christie) and it's slightly easier to swallow today, at least for me.

It's because Nico will be working for the Lakers in 2031.

[BigDirk41]

To this point, there was bit from the Simmons/Goldbery video RTG posted about how the deal was originally bigger and included both Knecht and the 2031 first, but that "Pelinka was able to whittle it down over a few weeks" to the deal that ultimately went through. 

Mix in Knecht and the other pick (as long as it still includes Christie) and it's slightly easier to swallow today, at least for me.

If true, this should be an immediate termination for Nico. 1 thousand percent fucking unacceptable. Nico was the one offering one of the best basketball players to ever live.

[KillerLeft]

It's because Nico will be working for the Lakers in 2031.

I doubt that. The Lakers are now Luka Doncic's team, and those two obviously are not fans of one another.

[SleepingHero]

@TheDunkCentral
Luka Dončić apparently bought a $15 million house in Dallas last week and reportedly cried when he found out the Mavericks traded him, per
@ChandlerParsons

[Smitty]

I doubt that. The Lakers are now Luka Doncic's team, and those two obviously are not fans of one another.

It was an attempt at a joke, implying that Nico colluded and will get a job with the Lakers after he's fired.

[BigDirk41]

@TheDunkCentral
Luka Dončić apparently bought a $15 million house in Dallas last week and reportedly cried when he found out the Mavericks traded him, per
@ChandlerParsons

This get worse by the moment. I really feel bad for Luka.

[cow]

Absolutely. Harrison (and common sense dictates others, too, such as Kidd, Dumont, etc) have decided that a supermaxed Luka is the wrong way to go. Period. This was their attempt to get off of that road.

Given that he opted to put the gas pedal to the floor, plowed through a neighborhood worth of fences, and slammed into a tree to get off that road, I'm not so sure common sense should be used in the same sentence as Nico Harrison.  You'll also never convince me that Kidd was onboard for this trade.   You can think a pile of late round FRPs isn't worth much, but you only returned one and that could just as easily be a late round pick as well.  You can say that Christie is the type of player the Mavs prefer that doesn't mean that the likes of Reeves and Knecht couldn't be used to bring back more assets either by expanding this trade or in future trades.  Nico operated like a desperate team with little understanding of the value of the asset he traded.  If only he'd have spoken with more than two teams about the trade, his eyes would have been opened to the value of that asset or maybe that's giving him too much credit.  

He dug a hole with future assets to build a team around Luka.  That's fine and what needed to be done.  And anyone would do the same knowing that if they wanted out of the Luka Doncic business, they could use Luka to refill that hole and then some.  I doubt many GMs would want out of the Luka Doncic business as no one with Luka's resume and at his age have been traded so unceremoniously and I'm 100% sure that if they had, no one would have accepted that package.  Nico treated Luka like a depreciated asset because of his disdain for the player and then got played by his pal from the Lakers.  Thankfully this will be his last GM gig but unfortunately it came at the expense of our franchise.

[KillerLeft]

Given that he opted to put the gas pedal to the floor, plowed through a neighborhood worth of fences, and slammed into a tree to get off that road, I'm not so sure common sense should be used in the same sentence as Nico Harrison.  You'll also never convince me that Kidd was onboard for this trade.   You can think a pile of late round FRPs isn't worth much, but you only returned one and that could just as easily be a late round pick as well.  You can say that Christie is the type of player the Mavs prefer that doesn't mean that the likes of Reeves and Knecht couldn't be used to bring back more assets either by expanding this trade or in future trades.  Nico operated like a desperate team with little understanding of the value of the asset he traded.  If only he'd have spoken with more than two teams about the trade, his eyes would have been opened to the value of that asset or maybe that's giving him too much credit.  

He dug a hole with future assets to build a team around Luka.  That's fine and what needed to be done.  And anyone would do the same knowing that if they wanted out of the Luka Doncic business, they could use Luka to refill that hole and then some.  I doubt many GMs would want out of the Luka Doncic business as no one with Luka's resume and at his age have been traded so unceremoniously and I'm 100% sure that if they had, no one would have accepted that package.  Nico treated Luka like a depreciated asset because of his disdain for the player and then got played by his pal from the Lakers.  Thankfully this will be his last GM gig but unfortunately it came at the expense of our franchise.

You’re misunderstanding how I’m using the term “common sense.” I think it’s obvious that this was Harrison-driven, but I don’t for one second think this was done without Kidd signing off, and we KNOW the governor signed off. I’m sure there were others in favor, too. 

Other than that, I totally agree with you. It’s not what I think they should’ve done and nothing I’m writing today is meant as a justification of this weekend’s events.

[Jym]