Luka Doncic to the Lakers

[D. Bergin]

Kyrie is also almost 33, and has his own durability and attitude issues, so trading Doncic out and putting Kyrie in a more prominent role is certainly not a long term solution, even if it might be ok for just this season (or part of this season).

Apparently this trade got Dallas under the Luxury Tax apron, and there was also a concern Doncic was going to opt out before his big contract extension came up.

Just a really weird trade. You have to wonder if Dallas knows something about him, the rest of us don't.

Looks like Mark Cuban had nothing to do with it. He's no longer a majority owner with the team, and had no say in the trade. If it's just a money saving measure by the new owners, it's pretty f*cking sad.

None of this is to sh*t on Anthony Davis either, who is an excellent and likely under-rated ballplayer at this point...but he's not the type of player who teams build around to win Championships anymore. They used to build teams around players like him, but not anymore. The game has changed. An awesome complimentary player, a definite HOF'er...but not..."The Guy".

[BobbyStrawberry]

I think they're going to try and roll with Kyrie and AD for the foreseeable future. It would not surprise me if they both sign new deals to stay there. Health is definitely a question mark for both of them but when healthy they are right up there with the best 1-2s in the league

[Peter_Spaeth]

It will be interesting to see how he meshes with LeBron.

[Gorditadogg]

Originally Posted by BobbyStrawberry

I think they're going to try and roll with Kyrie and AD for the foreseeable future. It would not surprise me if they both sign new deals to stay there. Health is definitely a question mark for both of them but when healthy they are right up there with the best 1-2s in the league

Other top 1-2s right now.

Giannis-Dame
Joker-Jamal
Shai-Chet
Mitchell-Garland
Tatum-Brown
Luka-LeBron
Brunson-KAT
Booker-KD
Embiid-Maxey
Tyrese-Pascal
Ja-JJJ
Wemby-Fox

I would put Kyrie-AD in the top half of that list.

Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk

[bk400]

Originally Posted by D. Bergin

Kyrie is also almost 33, and has his own durability and attitude issues, so trading Doncic out and putting Kyrie in a more prominent role is certainly not a long term solution, even if it might be ok for just this season (or part of this season).

Apparently this trade got Dallas under the Luxury Tax apron, and there was also a concern Doncic was going to opt out before his big contract extension came up.

Just a really weird trade. You have to wonder if Dallas knows something about him, the rest of us don't.

Looks like Mark Cuban had nothing to do with it. He's no longer a majority owner with the team, and had no say in the trade. If it's just a money saving measure by the new owners, it's pretty f*cking sad.

None of this is to sh*t on Anthony Davis either, who is an excellent and likely under-rated ballplayer at this point...but he's not the type of player who teams build around to win Championships anymore. They used to build teams around players like him, but not anymore. The game has changed. An awesome complimentary player, a definite HOF'er...but not..."The Guy".

I am in the camp of people who believe that the Mavs know something about Doncic. Probably an off court, character issue that could create headline risk for the franchise.

[D. Bergin]

I thought this was interesting:

Harrison said the trade was made to "make our team better," but he also mentioned Doncic's contractual situation as a consideration. Doncic was eligible to sign a five-year, $345 million supermax contract this summer, and league sources said he anticipated agreeing to that deal.

Instead, the Mavericks traded him before they could offer him such an extension. Because of the trade, Doncic no longer qualifies for a supermax deal. He can sign an extension with the Lakers for as much as $229 million over five years this summer. Doncic can opt out of his contract after the 2025-26 season, when several teams, including the Miami Heat, are expected to make a maximum offer to free agents.

It's now in Doncic's best interest to opt out after next season, so Lakers may only have him for a season and a half.

Explains why they didn't have to give up more draft capital for him, especially if Doncic wasn't aware of the trade talks and wasn't able to engage with the Lakers in future contract negotiations.

[Gorditadogg]

Originally Posted by D. Bergin

I thought this was interesting:







It's now in Doncic's best interest to opt out after next season, so Lakers may only have him for a season and a half.



Explains why they didn't have to give up more draft capital for him, especially if Doncic wasn't aware of the trade talks and wasn't able to engage with the Lakers in future contract negotiations.

If Luka is still 260 pounds a year and a half from now, I don't think he will be getting max offers.

Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk

[Stuke1976]

Mavs GM and Lakers GM knew each other well thru Kobe Bryant. Not as shocking once I knew that.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Gorditadogg

If Luka is still 260 pounds a year and a half from now, I don't think he will be getting max offers.

Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk

I have the feeling LeBron is not going to be very tolerant of a player of that caliber being out of shape.

[Gorditadogg]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

I have the feeling LeBron is not going to be very tolerant of a player of that caliber being out of shape.

I agree. I think LeBron could be a great influence on Luka.

Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Gorditadogg

I agree. I think LeBron could be a great influence on Luka.

Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk

LeBron will now have to adapt his game somewhat, I would think, both because of the absence of Davis and the presence of Doncic. Then again, LeBron is probably the most versatile (if not the best) player ever to walk onto a court, and if his teammates were four Martians he'd figure out his best role.