NBA Rumors: Multiple Teams 'Had No Idea Luka Was Available' Before Lakers Trade

The Dallas Mavericks do not appear to have thoroughly shopped Luka Dončić before trading him to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis on Saturday night.

Multiple NBA teams said the night of the trade they had "no idea Luka was available," according to The Ringer's Ryen Russillo.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the trade took place after Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison, backed by team owner Patrick Dumont, decided "to pursue Davis and pretty much no one else."

Stein reported that the Mavs "did not make Dončić available to interested teams for the richest possible haul of draft picks."

According to Stein, the Mavericks believe Davis is "a top-10 player in the league." The chance to acquire him alongside Max Christie and a 2019 first-rounder was apparently enough to keep Dallas from publicly putting Dončić on the trade block.

ESPN's Bobby Marks and NBA reporter Zach Lowe also shared stories of NBA executives being blindsided by the trade:

ESPN's Shams Charania first reported late Saturday night that the Mavericks and Lakers had swapped Dončić and Davis in a three-team trade involving the Utah Jazz. According to Charania, the Mavericks instigated the trade by reaching out to the Lakers.

Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison told Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News that he understands why the trade is considered shocking.

"I understand why they would be shocked, initially," Harrison told Townsend. "But I do believe that we positioned ourselves to win now and also win in the future. And that's ultimately the goal and why we're here. It's one of those things where it's my job to make the tough decisions that put our goals first and foremost."

Harrison went on to tell Townsend that he had begun talking with Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka over a month ago, and the talks "just built over time over the last three weeks."

Dončić has been held to just 22 games this season amid a calf injury and reported struggles with conditioning, with his weight climbing "to the high 260s" early in the 2024-25 campaign, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

But Dončić is 25 years old, and he's just one season removed from putting up 33.9 points per game and leading the Mavericks to the NBA Finals. Forbes' Evan Sidery reported that other NBA teams would have been "willing to offer significant building blocks and historic hauls on draft picks" had Dončić's contract been put on the open market.

The Mavericks would have had to consider offering Dončić the five-year, $345 million supermax extension had he remained in Dallas this summer. The ultimately shocking part of Saturday night's blockbuster may not be the decision to move Dončić in order to avoid these extension talks, but rather the team's apparent lack of diligence in ensuring they brought in the largest haul possible for their 25-year-old superstar.