Since Luka Dončić’s move to the Los Angeles Lakers became official, fans have wondered how and why everything happened. As reports have started to emerge, the only unknown in the equation was the Slovenian star himself. Dončić has been relatively quiet outside of his thank-you message to the city of Dallas and the Mavericks’ fanbase.
But thanks to former Mavericks forward Chandler Parsons, we now have some insight into the thinking behind Dončić and former Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who’s been among his most ardent supporters since entering the league.
Chandler Parsons Shares Mark Cuban and Luka Dončić’s Reactions to the Trade
Speaking on “Run It Back” on FanDuel TV, Parsons was alongside Michelle Beadle and Lou Williams, breaking down the trade. He was a member of the Mavericks for three seasons, developing a close relationship with Cuban. So, when the conversation shifted to the former owner, Parsons revealed how his conversation with him went.
“I texted (Mark Cuban) and I said, ‘I’m so confused.’ He wrote back, ‘That makes two of us.’ So that kind of tells you right there he wasn’t involved. By the way, this new ownership group – Patrick Dumont, Adelson Family, they’re business people, they’re Vegas Casino, real estate moguls. They know nothing about the NBA and basketball.”
"I texted (Mark Cuban) and I said, 'I'm so confused.' He wrote back, 'That makes two of us." – @ChandlerParsons📲
The Luka Doncic trade to the Lakers shocked the former majority owner of the Dallas Mavericks.@MichelleDBeadle | @TeamLou23 pic.twitter.com/3EyMZWBvgW
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) February 3, 2025
As a result, the onus has completely fallen on general manager Nico Harrison, who’s had some shocking comments ever since the trade went down. “They have fully given Nico the keys to do decisions and make big, bold moves like this. So, I believe Mark…He’s probably just as shocked as we all are.”
However, even with the shock, Parsons was willing to give Dallas and Harrison the benefit of the doubt. Explaining his rationale, he dove in, “Dallas, of all franchises, they do their due diligence – on personality traits, on medical, on friends you hang out with (and there have been some murmurs about what Luka was doing early on in his career), and then obviously, with the weight and the off-the-court activities.
“I don’t know the extreme details of this but you just don’t do this out of nowhere. I think they obviously see something that the average person, we don’t see for them to move on that quickly and that easily from a talent like Luka Dončić. My biggest issue is professionally, respectfully how they handled it.”
From there, Parson pulled no punches, laying into the front office for the way they treated their franchise star. “I find it extremely disrespectful, I find it horrific bad business for you to just go and do this and I’m also not buying that Jason Kidd just didn’t know.
"I'm also not buying that Jason Kidd just didn't know. … Luka Doncic just bought a $15M house, just closed like last week in Dallas. Apparently he cried when he found out. … Jimmy Butler's off the hook a little bit based on this move." – @ChandlerParsons pic.twitter.com/dJfBFUEyKJ
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) February 3, 2025
“I just think it’s bad business when you draft this guy, this dude just bought a $15M house, just closed like last week in Dallas. Apparently, he cried when he found out. This is your everything, he took you to the Finals last year… I think the narrative needs to change around when players make decisions like this, to understand that more.”
It is a sentiment that many other players have echoed. Most notably, both Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo spoke about how the standards were different when it came to franchises and players.
“Nico did this cause he thinks it’s better for the Mavs. So, it’s not always a consistent thing. We always get caught up in the player leaving, ‘Oh, he’s a bad guy.'”
He had one final shot to take against the front office for their treatment of their superstar, courtesy of the greatest Maverick of all time, Dirk Nowitzki. Underneath his statue outside the Mavs arena, “Loyalty doesn’t fade”, is inscribed onto the stone, a testament to the longest-tenured player for a single franchise in NBA history.
"It says, 'Loyalty doesn't fade,' on Dirk Nowitzki's statue. They better figure out a different slogan because there's zero loyalty in that front office." – @ChandlerParsons
"It was loyalty for Dirk." – @TeamLou23
"Luka Doncic was the next Dirk!" – CP
"Things change." – LW pic.twitter.com/vS1vYagxvi
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) February 3, 2025
However, according to Parsons, it needs to change. “It says, ‘Loyalty doesn’t fade,’ on Dirk Nowitzki’s statue. They better figure out a different slogan because there’s zero loyalty in that front office.”
