14 months after the shocking news was delivered, the Dallas Mavericks‘ decision to trade Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers is still being discussed and debated.
Doncic was traded for a large package that included Anthony Davis and is widely considered one of the worst trades in the history of sports. Nico Harrison, the general manager who pulled the trigger on the deal for the Mavericks, has already been fired, but now the blame is shifting to courtside.
ESPN insider Tim MacMahon, who covered the Mavericks at the time of the trade, mentioned on the “Hoop Collective” podcast that there was some tension between Doncic and Dallas coach Jason Kidd. That tension, according to MacMahon, likely played a role in Doncic’s surprising exit from Dallas and the chaos the ensuded afterward.
“I have reported that Jason Kidd was absolutely frustrated with Luka Doncic,” MacMahon said. “I cannot sit here and tell you straight up that I know for a fact that Jason Kidd was part of pushing Luka out the door. I damn sure suspect it, I have written as much, I have said as much. I can’t tell you that for a fact.”
Even though MacMahon can’t confirm that Kidd was the driving force behind the decision to trade Doncic, former Mavericks owner Mark Cuban also mentioned on the “Intersections” podcast that the former Dallas star and Kidd didn’t get along well. Kidd has since said that he wasn’t informed of the trade negotiations until the “11th hour.”
“That doesn’t justify it for our coach and our general manager to stand up and trade our best player,” Cuban said.
Kidd has been coaching the Mavericks since 2021 and worked with Doncic to take them to the NBA Finals in 2024. At the time of the deal, there were no reports detailing a poor relationship between Doncic and Kidd, but since Harrison’s firing, more news about how the trade came together and why it happened at all has been revealed.