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When the Dallas Mavericks suddenly traded franchise cornerstone Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis before the trade deadline, the sports world was stunned.
So much so that conspiracy theories begin popping up as to why a team would trade away one of the world’s best players right before he hit his prime.
In his press conference before NBA All-Star Saturday Night, NBA commissioner Adam Silver was asked his thoughts on Dallas fans being angry at the trade and at Mavs GM Nico Harrison, who has defended the move.
“In terms of anger at the fanbase, I’m empathetic,” said Silver. “I understand it. I mean, Dallas was in the Finals last year.”
But the commissioner, who said he was just as surprised by the move as fans were, said there’s no indication the move was made for anything but basketball reasons.
“Whether or not history will ultimately judge this as a smart trade, they did what they thought was in the best interest of their organization,” he said. “I have absolutely no knowledge or belief there were any ulterior motives.”
As fans around the league struggled to explain how the Lakers could be so lucky as to land a 25-year-old who finished third in MVP voting last year, some honed in on vague theories that the league put its thumb on the scales. After all, LA is one of the country’s top sports markets, and the NBA theoretically stands to gain when its biggest-market teams go deep into the playoffs, especially when they’re stacked with superstars.
But another conspiracy theory emerged that Mavs ownership was gutting the team to pressure Texas into legalizing gambling. Miriam Adelson, who bought a majority stake in the team in 2023 along with her son-in-law Patrick Dumont, is also the majority shareholder of casino giant Las Vegas Sands. The theory goes that the trade is a bargaining chip and they’re ready to move the team to Vegas if Texas doesn’t play ball.
Silver refuted that idea directly. “There’s no doubt in my mind that the Dumont-Adelson families bought that team to keep it in Dallas. I have no doubt whatsoever that they’re committed to the long-term success of that franchise.”
