One of the most unbelievable aspects of Luka Dončić getting traded for Anthony Davis was how the Dallas Mavericks front office didn’t pursue more draft compensation from the Los Angeles Lakers. ESPN NBA analyst and insider Kirk Goldsberry shed more light on this during his recent conversation with Bill Simmons.
Kirk Goldsberry Reveals Why Luka Dončić Trade Haul Has Fewer Picks Than You’d Think
Simmons conducted a customary emergency podcast with Ryen Russillo and Rob Mahoney on the night of Feb. 1, when the trade broke. The founder of The Ringer then had another emergency podcast with Russillo on the De’Aaron Fox-Zach LaVine trade before moving on to another day of Dončić discussion.
Simmons has ample reasons to give this news multiple looks. After all, it’s the biggest piece of trade news we’ve seen in at least the 21st century!
This is a happening that has broken some fundamental axioms that NBA fans had about certain teams. Discussions on this are right up Simmons’ alley, and he invited a long-term collaborator in Goldsberry to discuss the landmark trade.
Goldsberry is more of a statistical X’s and O’s analyst of basketball than an insider. However, the ESPN analyst does have sources of his own, and he indicates that Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka was able to play mind games with Mavs GM Nico Harrison and induce him to reduce the trade haul he demanded in exchange for Dončić.
“One of my sources inside the Lakers was indicating that the deal was bigger, and I think you guys were literally joking about this last night. That there were two firsts, and there was Dalton Knecht — and the deal got whittled down. Because I think Rob Pelinka was able to convince the Dallas Mavericks that Luka is a lot of risk.”
REPORT: The Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade originally included multiple firsts and Dalton Knecht, per @kirkgoldsberry
“A deal got whittled down, and I think Rob Pelinka was able to convince the Mavs that Luka is a lot of risk… His drinking, his weight problem…”
(via Bill… pic.twitter.com/QjmmBWvjpx
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) February 3, 2025
“This is a weeks-long process — that’s another thing that came out today. Dallas started it, it fell into Rob Pelinka’s lap, and then he was able to reduce the outward Lakers assets to such a (haul).”
This revelation puts the Mavericks’ front office even more under the scanner. Dallas’ desire to get a deal done before the offseason (as stated by Harrison) seemed to be a head-scratcher. But to settle for fewer picks than Marcus Smart (who was traded for two first-round picks from Boston to the Memphis Grizzlies) is the kind of absurdity that fans have been demanding answers for from the GM.
The entire internet seems to believe that Kobe Bryant’s former agent definitely pulled a fast one for his Lakers over Harrison. They certainly have good reasons for this notion, judging from this latest revelation.
