Luka Dealt to Lakers: Nico Harrison is a Basketball Terrorist

[F Gump]

This trade was never about avoiding the tax or anything. It was solely because they did not like Luka.

This point needs to be emphasized before we get too deep in the weeds with the numbers. The AD and Luka (on a supermax) salaries are essentially the same, except for 2025-26 season when AD is already getting 35% and Luka is not. It's not a lack of willingness to pay, but rather to pay Luka so much that they would tie their future to him for the next decade.

The Mavs FO did not trust Luka, did not trust his work ethic and commitment to his job, so they didn't want to be "forced" to pay HIM the 35%. They figured based on past history that it was only going to get worse not better. 

(To be fair, there's human nature evidence for that being true. It's what happens with any addict - if I get away with it now, and I'm okay, why should I change? Luka is so talented that he can play great without having to work all out off the court, so why should he change? Why not just enjoy himself off the court, because what's the point?) 

There's also plenty of evidence that the FO had tried to get Luka to change, and he just did what he felt like. We as fans also were frustrated at his lack of progress in certain areas that hampered his ability, and I didn't understand why progress never seemed to happen from year to year.

I am in the minority, but my biggest complaint by far is the return, and the horrendous negotiating in just about every way, but not so much the fact that he was traded. If he was perhaps intractable, at some point you have to move on, and at some point there's going to be that point. I get it.