Mavs GM Offers Bizarre Explanation For Trading Luka Doncic

If on Friday you started naming the NBA players least likely to be traded, Luka Doncic probably would have been one of the first superstars mentioned.

That’s why when the Mavericks and the Lakers teamed up for a blockbuster trade Saturday night, the entire sports world was completely floored.

Doncic is bound for Los Angeles, which received a package centered around elite big man Anthony Davis in return. Shortly after the terms of the trade were agreed upon, Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison explained to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon why he pulled the trigger.

“I believe that defense wins championships,” Harrison told MacMahon. “I believe that getting an All-Defensive center and an All-NBA player with a defensive mindset gives us a better chance. We’re built to win now and in the future.”

Did Dallas improve defensively via the trade? Absolutely. Davis is one of the best rim protectors and rebounders in the sport. But “defense wins championships” is the kind of explanation you use when you acquire a sixth man at the deadline, not ship away a generational talent who still is only 25 years old.

It doesn’t take a basketball genius to know there were other reasons for the Doncic trade beyond a defensive upgrade. And a jarring report from MacMahon explained how the five-time All-Star fell out of favor in Dallas.