Javad: Mavericks Should Have Gotten Historic Return In Luka Doncic Trade

Jonah, how are you, man?

I'm good, man. It's been a absolutely wild 48 hours, but, you know, it's what we do. I just never thought I would be answering questions about Luka Doncic leaving Dallas this way this soon and how it all transpired. Yeah, Jonah, and I understand and know that you've been a part of covering these Dallas Mavericks, basically kind of parallels the time that Luka was drafted.

And so you've seen this entire situation and story play out now that it's had a chance to sit down. Why did they move him? Is it conditioning? Is it a problem? What's the deal?

Yeah, well, it's funny because it seems like the reasons they give change by the hour. So the collection of answers we got from Nico Harrison yesterday range from, one, they want to be more defensive first. He said defense wins championships. And, you know, you watch the Mavericks play the Celtics in the NBA Finals last year.

You saw that firsthand. I mean, the Celtics, you know, the way they play two-way basketball, it was beautiful. And the Mavs really just couldn't even contend against them. So they want to become more defensive focused. And Anthony Davis obviously brings that element. He'll play the four spot for the Mavs. And the Mavericks can use their big men, Derek Lively and Daniel Gafford, at the five.

So, yeah, maybe that makes them better defensively. But the other reasons were the contract. Luca was up for a supermax extension, which would have been five years, 300 plus million dollars. He is no longer eligible for that supermax by going to the Lakers.

And the Mavericks don't have to pay that either. That's another reason behind this. Also, they've expressed some concerns about conditioning.

And he's had some lingering injury issues the last couple of years. And they were concerned about giving that type of deal and that type of money to a player with that type of conditioning, those habits, on top of the fear that he may opt out eventually and then they're left holding a bag as well. So you add all that up and so they just made this decision. At least those are the reasons that they give us.

And we're not privy to everything that goes on behind the scenes and what other reasons may have gone into this. But they really have just cleaned out the entire Luca Doncic era. Anyone that was really affiliated, like from assistant coaches that were brought in years ago to be part of this Luca era, like it is, it's gone.

And it's wild because so long they built around him and now they've just cleaned house. Jonah Jovar is here with us, a sports anchor down in the Dallas and Metroplex area, WFAA. We heard a few words from Jason Kidd. Nico pretty much, and whether he's trying to, you know, CYA covered his behind too, pretty much said that he didn't share this with Jason Kidd. And we've seen Jason Kidd be critical of Luca in the past when it comes to his complaining.

I can only imagine what he would be saying in private. What are your thoughts on how Jason Kidd feels about this and what his future might be in Dallas as well now? Yeah, I mean, listen, if from what they said at the press conference yesterday that Nico did this whole thing, you know, Lone Ranger and didn't tell Jason Kidd, didn't even check with Kidd before making this deal, what does that say about Kidd's future? I mean, you would think the head coach would be involved with a trade of this magnitude and I get not wanting it to come out, but man, this is the guy who coaches the lineup, who does the X's and O's on the floor. I mean, this is the guy who's in the locker room with them every night and to not even present it to him.

I mean, much less present or present it to Luca himself. I mean, so much in the NBA, the superstar players have a line to the front office and there's communication and there's dialogue, especially when it comes to, hey, we're shopping you or thinking about trading you. And none of that happened. It was management malpractice for how all that went down between Nico and Kidd and and really how the whole trade came to be and just only going to the Lakers. Nico said that this was a deal that was only reached out to the Lakers, which makes absolutely no sense because the haul is not, it was not a fair return to pretty much anyone who knows anything about basketball. And so you think, well, if these, if there's mid-tier players getting five first round picks, Luca Doncic could have gotten one of the craziest returns in basketball history.

Instead, they get an almost 32 year old All-Star with injury history and a first round pick in 2029. It just doesn't add up. And that's why you're seeing Mavericks fans so distraught over the last 48 hours. Well, Jonah, let me, let me ask you this, Nico. And it was a little surprising to say that, you know, kind of in conclusion of his press conference, he said, I'm worried about the now. He said, as it relates to myself and Jason Kidd, he says this decision might bury me. Do you think Nico Harrison, you talk about the fans, do you think he's, he's being selfish and not necessarily thinking about the team and the hole?

Yeah, I think there's probably something to that. There might be just a little bit of overconfidence and maybe ego plays a role in this because up until this point, Nico Harrison had done a really great job as Mavericks GM. He brought in Kyrie Irving, and it is hard to bring in superstars to Dallas without getting drafted, right? Like they drafted Dirk and they, you know, draft night acquired Luca and Kyrie coming to town was, was a big deal for the organization. And then last year at the trade deadline, they bring in Daniel Gafford and PJ Washington, and those two pieces got them over the hump to reach the NBA finals. And then they get Klay Thompson in the off season.

So you're like, oh, these are, he is really just, he's nailing all of these. And then he goes and trades away the most popular player in all of Dallas sports for a bag of Skittles. I mean, it just, I don't, it doesn't add up.

It doesn't make sense. And, you know, you have to wonder if maybe confidence or ego is really just gambling on himself in this moment, but he's gambling at the expense of, of fans at the expense of merchandise and sales revenue, ticket revenue. It's just, it's a sad time to be a, to be a Mavericks fan here and we're covering it firsthand and we're going to kind of continue to see how it unfolds.

Jonah Gervais is here with us on the JR sport brief show Coast to Coast on the Infinity Sports Network. Anthony Davis is the key return here. We know he's a future hall of famer, a top 75 player. He won a championship in the bubble with LeBron James. We know who he is.

We know who he's not. When you think about what he brings to the team, the bigger concern is obviously health. And, and Luca is certainly not the prime example of what you would say is the healthiest and fittest of a basketball player. But is this a, is this a, a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation for Anthony Davis? Like in, in what world outside of hoisting a Larry O'Brien, if he's healthy enough to see it, is, is he going to be received or is he just a mercenary? This seems like he's going to be cooked by the fans and everybody.

Yeah. And that's what, that's, what's wild about this trade is that 99% of the time, 99% of the time, if a team gets Anthony Davis, even at age 31, almost 32 team getting Anthony Davis would lead to pandemonium and excitement by the team that's getting him. I mean, he's by all accounts, he's been one of the best two way players in the NBA for 10 years, but that's just how much the Mavericks gave up for the response to be what it has. And, you know, to give up a 25 year old first team, all NBA player and Luka Doncic, and to only get one first round pick in return. I mean, the math you brought up Nico Harrison saying that we're built to win now. I mean, they're sort of built to win now. I mean, they've got a bunch of guys who are, um, you know, on the downswing of their careers. So maybe they can give you one to two seasons, but after that, you've got to be looking to build up for the future and they don't have the draft picks.

They don't have the young, um, talented players to build around that they could have got had they shopped Luka to other teams, which is why this trade was so silly on so many levels. Now, Anthony Davis is an incredible player in his own right. If he can stay healthy, if he can stay healthy, he Kyrie and the rest of that Maverick starting lineup is legit. I mean, they can contend now when they contend for the West crown against all these up and coming teams. I'm not convinced because it's still at the end of the day, you need an absolute killer in the playoffs. And that's what Luka Doncic was.

A guy always rose to the occasion. He was the only Luka was the only one in the NBA finals who could make a shot for the Mavericks against that Celtics team. And so I get this whole defensive first approach, but you need a guy who can go and get you buckets in the biggest of games and Kyrie can do that sometimes.

He's not able to do that all the time now. And I'm not sure this team is equipped to make a run. Uh, and even if they did, I don't think Maverick's fans would, would give a crap.

Jonah Jovat is here with us. It seems for a very long time that Mark Cuban was, was never going to exit, uh, this, this situation or seed power to the Mavs. And we saw what happened, uh, about a year ago.

And, um, this would be unimaginable if he was still in control of the team. What didn't you say? Oh, a hundred percent. I mean, it's, I, um, I messaged with him that night and he said, I wasn't involved at all. You'd have to ask Nico about it.

And, uh, that is it's because I don't think he would have done it. I don't know anybody who's followed the Mavericks or covered the Mavericks for years. Um, they know how much Mark Cuban understood sort of the fan. He was the Mavs biggest fan, right?

Like always courtside enthusiastic. Um, you know, he, he brought that element to the franchise and when he sold the team, it kind of ushered in this new era of, uh, we don't need to be loyal to the previous people previous people who were here and Cuban. I mean, two years ago, he, he, Nico Harrison and Jason Kidd went to Slovenia and hung out with Luca Doncic. It was sort of this like group bonding experience, trying to show the superstar that, Hey, we, you know, we really love you building the team around.

You want you to know that we're doing everything we can, and we want you to be happy here. And this, that, and the other, there were spheres that Luca would leave, even though he never gave any, um, implication that he would. And so for it to be such a dramatic heel turn from 18 months ago to now, to just totally rid themselves of him, it just, it, it doesn't add up, man. It just doesn't add up. And, um, you know, I feel like we've been searching for answers and I don't think we'll ever fully accept the answers that they give because as you kind of let it off, this is one of the most ridiculous trades in NBA history. And unless they win a championship, I'm not sure there's anything that can be done or said to, uh, to change that.

Yeah. Jonas, we, we wrap things up, you know, Luca, you seen Luca, you've watched him grow from a Euro league MVP rookie of the year, all this NBA finals. We can fill in all the blanks for everything that's been said about why he was traded to the Lakers. What do you expect to see now that he is playing? And we don't know if it's another year or two or what it is with LeBron James.

We know this guy's a slaughterer on the basketball court. Do you expect that the criticism to kind of wind the, uh, put a battery in his back? Yeah, I would think this will motivate him quite a bit. I mean, he's still recovering from his own injury. And so Lakers training staff might have to, you know, kind of, you know, put the reins on him a little bit, just because I would imagine he's going to be eager to get going. And that game April 9th, Lakers at Mavericks here in Dallas, you know, sometimes teams don't suit up their superstars for their, those, those returns home, but man, that is going to be a movie assuming he plays. Um, and I would expect the Mavericks fans to give him a massive standing ovation because Luca is not really at fault in any of this, but as for Luca and LeBron, the pairing, I mean, I, I sat down with Luca when he was, uh, I think he just turned 19 years old.

It was his rookie year. And, um, you know, through his broken English was telling me about how LeBron was his childhood idol and how nervous he was to play him for the first time. And then you kind of see their relationship grow over the years. I mean, there's video clips of LeBron, uh, dapping up Luca after a game and tell him, he telling him he's a bad MF-er and, uh, he's just laughing. And it just there, the growth of their relationship in the NBA has been kind of cool to see unfold because they, they have two different styles, but they also see the game very similar.

They almost see like three plays ahead. So it will be, it'll be, um, I'm excited to see how it plays out. I'm not sure it will necessarily work. It seems like most Laker fans think that they're still lacking in a lot of departments, especially in the front court. But, uh, when you have two players of that caliber that kind of see the game and, uh, you know, a 3d chess style that it, let's just at least see how it plays out and maybe it works. Maybe it doesn't, but I know one thing's for sure, the Lakers have their heir to the throne in LA.

Oh, they certainly do. Well, Jonah appreciate the time. Thank you so much. Where can people follow you and all your work as this continues to get unraveled? Yeah, I'm on, um, Facebook, Jonah Javad TV, uh, X, Twitter, Instagram, all at Jonah Javad. And we're, as, as I mentioned, we're kind of continuing our coverage of the story in the following days. We've got a lot of, uh, stuff to get to.

So if you're looking for continuous coverage in that aspect, just hit me up there. I can't wait to see that, uh, Anthony Davis press conference. They're going to have one, right? They have to. Oh yeah. I mean, they're, they're still out, they're still out of town. Mavs are on the road tomorrow in Philly, but, um, they'll, they'll do an introductory presser and, uh, we'll give AD his, uh, his flowers cause he deserves them too. Yeah. We'll, we'll see what that looks like with the fans. Hey Jonah, thank you so much. We'll catch you soon. Thank you.