The trade between the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers involving Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis remains one of the most monumental and unexpected moves in NBA history. Conducted with a surprising level of secrecy, the deal continues to generate buzz nearly two months later. Lakers icon Pau Gasol recently shared his reaction to the trade.
Appearing on the Knuckleheads Podcast, the two-time NBA champion discussed the stunning transaction and expressed his disbelief, noting that trades of this magnitude are virtually unprecedented in league history.
“Obviously, at first, surprised, shocked,” Gasol said. “It was hard to kind of digest that that actually happened, that that type of player gets traded at 25 years old. It just doesn’t happen, never happened, might not happen ever again. But it happened for whatever reason”.
Gasol also highlighted how “crazy” the situation was, especially considering his personal relationships with both teams’ general managers. “It’s crazy because I’ve known Nico [Harrison, Mavericks GM], I know Rob [Pelinka, Lakers GM] personally for a long time,” Gasol added.
Anthony Davis didn’t plan to leave LA
The former Grizzlies star also revealed that Anthony Davis had no intention of leaving Los Angeles and was fully committed to helping the Lakers pursue another championship.
“I was just talking to AD when they came to play here vs. the Warriors, and we were going to get together,” Gasol said. “He wanted to help the Lakers win another championship and prolong and extend. He wasn’t thinking he was going anywhere”.
Gasol acknowledged Doncic’s immense talent and the shocking nature of the trade. “Then you have Luka, a generational talent, a guy who has put up crazy, crazy numbers his first five-and-a-half years of his career,” Gasol continued. “Five, I think, first All-NBA teams, took the team to the Finals with Kyrie and the rest of the guys last year and then boom”.
Mark Cuban calls out Mavs for mishandling Doncic trade
In an interview with WFAA, Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban did not hold back his criticism of the decision to trade Doncic. “Yeah, of course, I was upset,” Cuban admitted.
“And I’ve said this before: if the Mavs are going to trade Luka, that’s one thing. Just get a better deal,” he added. “No disrespect to Anthony Davis, but I still firmly believe this would be a different conversation if we had gotten four unprotected first-round picks, Anthony Davis, and Max Christie”.