Lakers proprietor Jeanie Buss is happy with how tight-lipped her staff remained within the days previous to the official saying of franchise’s commerce for Luka Doncic from the Mavericks, merely for the sake of the staff’s growth.
The three-team blockbuster commerce that noticed the Lakers additionally obtain Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris in alternate for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-rounder utterly shocked the NBA world within the early hours of Feb. 2.
The aftermath noticed Mavericks followers rally in protest a number of occasions, together with holding a mock funeral for Doncic on the commerce day and holding “Fire Nico” indicators at video games.
Think about if leaks had gotten by way of.
It crossed Buss’ thoughts.
She didn’t need it to be “unfair” to the staff and have it function a distraction.
She was joyful it was “surprising to all the parties involved.”
“It was really important to me that we didn’t blow up the team,” Buss mentioned Thursday earlier than the Lakers’ 111-102 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. “If it had leaked out and the trade hadn’t happened, that would be really unfair to the progress that the coaching staff had made with the team. Because it’s a huge distraction.”
Mavericks normal supervisor Nico Harrison defined the deal occurred for a number of causes, together with their considerations over Doncic’s conditioning and life-style decisions.
The staff first got here to the Lakers — the one staff approached for this deal — with the thought Jan. 7 whereas the staff was visiting in Dallas.
“The trade deadline is part of the business. It increases the level of stress for everybody,” Buss mentioned. “And I’m really proud that it didn’t leak out and that we were able to execute the trade in a way that still was surprising to all the parties involved. But that goes with this business.”
Buss, who took over the position in 2013 following the dying of her father, Dr. Jerry Buss, has seen her Lakers taking off lately because the No. 4 seed within the Western Convention.
L.A. has gained 16 of its final 20 video games.
Recreation at Crypto.com Enviornment on February 27, 2025
in Los Angeles, California. Getty Pictures for Netflix
The staff has additionally gone 6-2 within the video games Doncic, the five-time All-Star, has performed since arriving in Los Angeles.
