Lakers’ Rob Pelinka thought Nico Harrison was ‘joking’ about Luka Doncic trade

If you were one of the countless NBA fans who thought that the Luka Doncic trade that went done late Saturday night/Sunday morning was a joke, you’re not alone. That’s exactly what Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka thought when Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison broached the subject with him.

Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News has an excellent account of how the deal went down and what both parties were thinking, including Pelinka saying he initially thought Harrison was joking.

“Harrison told The News he and Pelinka began having ‘basketball’ conversations more than a month ago.

Then all of a sudden we’re like, ‘Would you ever do this?’

‘Nah, you’re joking, right?’

‘Hmm. Interesting. Maybe I would.’

Added Harrison: ‘And then it just built over time over the last three weeks.’

A person familiar with the Mavericks-Lakers negotiations told The News that Harrison got full support from team governor Patrick Dumont in the weeks leading to the trade and when it was time to pull the trigger late Saturday night.”

This Lakers-Mavericks trade has infuriated both fans and decision-makers alike around the league as it now seems clear that Harrison and the Mavs didn’t let any other teams in on the fact that Doncic, one of the best players in the league, was available via trade.

Instead, Harrison only approached Pelinka, a person he has a longstanding relationship with.

Before becoming the GM of the Mavericks, Nico Harrison was a Nike exec whose biggest claim to fame was working closely with Kobe Bryant. And, of course, who was Kobe’s agent at the time?  None other than Rob Pelinka. So, these two go way back and know each other well.

Because so many people think this Luka Doncic trade is a joke, its not wrong to think back to the Chris Paul trade to the Lakers back in 2011. NBA Commissioner David Stern ultimately vetoed that deal, but there are some major differences here. The biggest is that the league technically owned the New Orleans Hornets at the time, so they had more power in that situation. This means that despite the ridiculous nature of the process, Doncic will be the next Lakers superstar.