ESPN: Mavs Were 'Terrified' of Luka Dončić Supermax Contract Commitment Before Trade

The Dallas Mavericks were reportedly afraid of the massive extension that the team would potentially offer to superstar Luka Dončić before trading him to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.

"They were terrified of a supermax commitment," ESPN's Tim MacMahon said on Monday's episode of The Hoop Collective (43:45 mark).

ESPN's Bobby Marks noted that Dončić was eligible to receive a five-year, $345 million extension during the 2025 offseason. After he was dealt to the Lakers, the forward can no longer earn the supermax.

The $345 million contract would have represented the new richest deal in NBA history, surpassing the current record of $313.9 million on Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum's latest extension.

Dončić is still able to sign a five-year contract worth $229 million with the Lakers during the summer, per Marks.

On Sunday, Los Angeles acquired Dončić, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris in a three-team swap with the Mavericks and Utah Jazz. Dallas received Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick while Jalen Hood-Schifino and two second-round picks headed to Utah.

After the trade was completed, Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison confirmed that the looming extension for Dončić played a role in the move.

"We really feel like we got ahead of what was going to be a tumultuous summer, him being eligible for the supermax and also a year away from him being able to opt out of any contract," Harrison said, per Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. "And so we really felt like we got out in front of that. We know teams, they've had it out there, teams have been loading up to try to sign him once that comes available."

Dončić has been limited to just 22 appearances to begin his 2024-25 campaign due to a calf injury, but the five-time All-Star is still averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game on 46.4/35.4/76.7 shooting splits.

While his trade to the Lakers came as a surprise, it appears as though his upcoming contract situation factored into Dallas' desire to move him.