2025-26 NBA Season

[TheMarathonContinues]

They honestly don’t have much unless they absolutely sell out their draft picks for the next 5-6 years.

In fairness, Wiseman wasn’t much of a trade chip, but they did flub on the way they sat on Kuminga for so long sinking his value.

Well with Wiseman……the pick should’ve been Lamelo. Maybe that’s revionist. I remember Wiseman hype but to me he didn’t really fit the Warriors fast paced offense. I do wonder if Ant is the pick if they get 1 that year.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Mavs pretty much did do a secret deal. Utah was a part of it and didn't even know who was being traded until it was announced to the league. Only 2 people in the Mavs organization knew of the trade prior to the official announcement which was Nico and the Owner. Not even Mark Cuban knew about it

Nico and the Lakers (Rob Pelinka) made the deal while at a meeting in LA during dinner.

Luka Dončić as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Anthony Edwards as a Dallas Maverick? It was a thought pursued by Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison, according to The Athletic's Sam Amick.

Weeks before Harrison pulled off the blockbuster deal that sent Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, he reportedly called up the T'Wolves to gauge interest in a Luka-for-Ant Man swap.




This doesn’t indicate a secret deal.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Half of this is true.

And the other half is a made up opinion.

And neither have any affect on 26 year old Luka being a more desirable asset than 31 year old Giannis.

What’s up with him being 31? He’s still in his prime and has shown no signs of falling off.

 

[Bamx]

Luka Dončić as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Anthony Edwards as a Dallas Maverick? It was a thought pursued by Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison, according to The Athletic's Sam Amick.

Weeks before Harrison pulled off the blockbuster deal that sent Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, he reportedly called up the T'Wolves to gauge interest in a Luka-for-Ant Man swap.




This doesn’t indicate a secret deal.

Two can play the copy and paste game.


According to reports from February 2025, Mavericks GM Nico Harrison did not inform head coach Jason Kidd about the blockbuster trade sending Luka Dončić to the LA Lakers until approximately one hour before it became public. Kidd was described as "shocked" and "baffled" by the move, having not been consulted during nearly a month of negotiations.

• Last-Minute Notice: Kidd learned of the trade in a hotel room from Harrison, just before the news went public, leaving him to "brainstorm" how to adjust with the remaining roster.
• Initial Reaction: Despite the shock, Kidd maintained it is "part of the business," although reports indicated he was clearly displeased by the lack of involvement.
• Context: While it was a surprise, some reporting suggested that high frustration levels regarding Luka’s defensive effort and behavior existed within the organization, leading to the decision, though Kidd was kept in the dark to ensure secrecy.

Nico Harrison didn't tell Jason Kidd before the Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to Lakers​

https://www.si.com/nba/mavericks/on...vericks-traded-luka-doncic-los-angeles-lakers



In early February 2025, the Dallas Mavericks traded superstar Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in a stunning, top-secret deal. The trade, orchestrated in secrecy by Mavericks GM Nico Harrison and Lakers GM Rob Pelinka, sent Dončić to L.A. in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick. [1, 2]

• Why it was Secret: To avoid a bidding war and prevent Dončić or his agent from leveraging other teams, the deal was kept quiet, shocking the NBA world.
• Motivation: Reports suggested the Mavericks were concerned about Dončić's long-term commitment and conditioning, while the new ownership sought a specific direction, with some speculation linking the move to long-term financial strategies. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

According to reports in February 2025, the Dallas Mavericks engaged in informal discussions with the Minnesota Timberwolves regarding a potential trade involving Luka Dončić and Anthony Edwards before ultimately trading Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers


Alternative View: Another report suggested that while the Mavs did talk to Minnesota, the talks were "broad and vague" and did not explicitly identify Dončić by name in the way they did with the Lakers

 

[ratkinson]

Half of this is true.

And the other half is a made up opinion.

And neither have any affect on 26 year old Luka being a more desirable asset than 31 year old Giannis.

Luka is an out of shape party boy with range. He's also a defensive liability that spends too much time debating the refs, instead of getting back on defense. In addition, he misses a lot of games, due to injury.
IMO, Luka will never lead a team to a title, because he doesn't have the will to become a true professional.
Now that's my real opinion of the player.
You can either accept it or reject it.

 

[ratkinson]

Ouch didn’t know you was a Warrior fan lol…I remember that time well I’m thinking omg they are about to take over the league…..again.

Lol, they had a tremendous run, but everything does come to an end. I've got my memories, and that's gonna have to be enough.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Luka value could easily land Ant and some more assets. Wemby I would give the nod to, but he does have question marks when it comes to his health moving forward.

Two can play the copy and paste game.


According to reports from February 2025, Mavericks GM Nico Harrison did not inform head coach Jason Kidd about the blockbuster trade sending Luka Dončić to the LA Lakers until approximately one hour before it became public. Kidd was described as "shocked" and "baffled" by the move, having not been consulted during nearly a month of negotiations.

• Last-Minute Notice: Kidd learned of the trade in a hotel room from Harrison, just before the news went public, leaving him to "brainstorm" how to adjust with the remaining roster.
• Initial Reaction: Despite the shock, Kidd maintained it is "part of the business," although reports indicated he was clearly displeased by the lack of involvement.
• Context: While it was a surprise, some reporting suggested that high frustration levels regarding Luka’s defensive effort and behavior existed within the organization, leading to the decision, though Kidd was kept in the dark to ensure secrecy.

Nico Harrison didn't tell Jason Kidd before the Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to Lakers​

https://www.si.com/nba/mavericks/on...vericks-traded-luka-doncic-los-angeles-lakers



In early February 2025, the Dallas Mavericks traded superstar Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in a stunning, top-secret deal. The trade, orchestrated in secrecy by Mavericks GM Nico Harrison and Lakers GM Rob Pelinka, sent Dončić to L.A. in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick. [1, 2]

• Why it was Secret: To avoid a bidding war and prevent Dončić or his agent from leveraging other teams, the deal was kept quiet, shocking the NBA world.
• Motivation: Reports suggested the Mavericks were concerned about Dončić's long-term commitment and conditioning, while the new ownership sought a specific direction, with some speculation linking the move to long-term financial strategies. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

According to reports in February 2025, the Dallas Mavericks engaged in informal discussions with the Minnesota Timberwolves regarding a potential trade involving Luka Dončić and Anthony Edwards before ultimately trading Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers


Alternative View: Another report suggested that while the Mavs did talk to Minnesota, the talks were "broad and vague" and did not explicitly identify Dončić by name in the way they did with the Lakers

You believe Kidd didn’t know Luka was getting traded lol?

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Luka is an out of shape party boy with range. He's also a defensive liability that spends too much time debating the refs, instead of getting back on defense. In addition, he misses a lot of games, due to injury.
IMO, Luka will never lead a team to a title, because he doesn't have the will to become a true professional.
Now that's my real opinion of the player.
You can either accept it or reject it.

All of the above is why I didn’t mind getting rid of him. And what confirmed it was him getting into shape this year now that he leaves. Mind you refuses to do it in Dallas. Still gets hurt.

I’m mad we didn’t fleece the Lakers.

Only hope is by 2029 hopefully Lakers stink and that draft pick is top 5. At least Lebron won’t be there by then.

 

[Robbieac]

What’s up with him being 31? He’s still in his prime and has shown no signs of falling off.

Giannis is still a great player, and I have nothing against him.

But a 26 year old top 3 player is ALWAYS more valuable than a 31 year old top 10-15 player.

It’s not debatable.

Whatever Giannis garners in a trade, Luka should have garnered much more. It’s pretty straightforward.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Giannis is still a great player, and I have nothing against him.

But a 26 year old top 3 player is ALWAYS more valuable than a 31 year old top 10-15 player.

It’s not debatable.

Whatever Giannis garners in a trade, Luka should have garnered much more. It’s pretty straightforward.

Ok we see Luke completely different. His lack of defense I can’t call him a top 3 player.

Giannis is top 10 at his size on both sides of the ball. If Luka played defense like Giannis I’d agree. But Luka isn’t a flawless start and his limitations on defense makes his value closer to a 31 year old Giannis.

I don’t think Luka’s value was as high as people think. Certainly more then AD and Max

 

[Bamx]

You believe Kidd didn’t know Luka was getting traded lol?

I would be very surprised if Kidd knew. At that time nobody in the Mavs org thought they were going to land the #1 pick and get Cooper Flagg. With that said, Kidd still wanted his job and he knows that Luka made keeping his job that much easier. W/o Luka and or Flagg the Mavs would pretty much be at /or close to the bottom of standings in the NBA.

Kidd would have leaked the info knowing his job would be on the line w/o Luka. Cuban would also have leaked the information



At this point I'm not sure if you're trolling or just have your own ideas of how all this happened. I do find it mildly entertaining

 

[Bamx]

All of the above is why I didn’t mind getting rid of him. And what confirmed it was him getting into shape this year now that he leaves. Mind you refuses to do it in Dallas. Still gets hurt.

I’m mad we didn’t fleece the Lakers.

Only hope is by 2029 hopefully Lakers stink and that draft pick is top 5. At least Lebron won’t be there by then.

For that to work Luka would need to be hurt for most of the year. Even if he plays half the season he's good enough to carry them to the play-in and or playoffs practically by himself

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

I would be very surprised if Kidd knew. At that time nobody in the Mavs org thought they were going to land the #1 pick and get Cooper Flagg. With that said, Kidd still wanted his job and he knows that Luka made keeping his job that much easier. W/o Luka and or Flagg the Mavs would pretty much be at /or close to the bottom of standings in the NBA.

Kidd would have leaked the info knowing his job would be on the line w/o Luka. Cuban would also have leaked the information



At this point I'm not sure if you're trolling or just have your own ideas of how all this happened. I do find it mildly entertaining

As close as Kidd and Nico were…I just find it hard to believe Kidd was oblivious and wouldn’t be consulted with that. This idea that Nico only knew seems a bit of a stretch. Cuban not knowing is believable.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

For that to work Luka would need to be hurt for most of the year. Even if he plays half the season he's good enough to carry them to the play-in and or playoffs practically by himself

We literally just saw it happen in Dallas lol. He got traded in February I believe. That’s another aspect no one talks about. How the Mavs sucked before trading Luka.

 

[Bamx]

We literally just saw it happen in Dallas lol. He got traded in February I believe. That’s another aspect no one talks about. How the Mavs sucked before trading Luka.

Mavs made the play-in that year and that's with Luka missing 2 months before he was traded. When Luka was playing (before getting hurt) they were doing pretty good.

 

[Robbieac]

TMC. Did you dislike Luka when he was on the Mavs?

Or are you like Rockport…..who thinks his team’s players are gods, and then he thinks they suck when they are no longer on the team?

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

TMC. Did you dislike Luka when he was on the Mavs?

Or are you like Rockport…..who thinks his team’s players are gods, and then he thinks they suck when they are no longer on the team?

You ever heard me call Luka a god when he was with Dallas? What do you think of Luka? Let’s start there.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Mavs made the play-in that year and that's with Luka missing 2 months before he was traded. When Luka was playing (before getting hurt) they were doing pretty good.

The play in doesn’t mean you’re good. Means you are bad enough not to make the playoffs but not bad as the “bottom dwellers”

 

[Robbieac]

You ever heard me call Luka a god when he was with Dallas? What do you think of Luka? Let’s start there.

I liked Luka as a Mav. He was an undisputed top 3 player, and he took them to a championship series as a 25 year old. With some good players around him (and a little luck like Dirk’s team), there was a good chance that the Mavs would eventually win a championship.

Friendly question, so I will ask again.
Did you dislike Luka when he was a Mav?

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

I liked Luka as a Mav. He was an undisputed top 3 player, and he took them to a championship series as a 25 year old. With some good players around him (and a little luck like Dirk’s team), there was a good chance that the Mavs would eventually win a championship.

Friendly question, so I will ask again.
Did you dislike Luka when he was a Mav?

No I don’t dislike him. I never thought he was top 3. He’s a great player. I’m in the minority but how you guys feel about Luka I feel about Jayson Tatum. Luka is a great offensive player but the notion he carried Dallas is annoying.