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Luka Trade Breakdown and How Miami, Butler Can Take Advantage
By Brandon Hernandez
Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison and a visually distraught head coach Jason
Kidd sat side-by-side in front of members of the media Sunday morning. However, they never
saw eye-to-eye.
In the darkness of midnight, Harrison and Los Angeles Lakers GM Rob Pelinka constructed a
league altering deal to send Dallas’ franchise centerpiece Luka Doncic to Southern California.
Harrison, working alone with approval of Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont, kept most of the
franchise in the dark of this. Including Kidd, who led the Mavericks to its first Finals appearance
since 2011.
This also included Luka. The five-time All-Star didn’t know about the deal, or conversations, until
the news broke. The announcement itself brought in a new reality in the National Basketball
Association. Anyone is on the market. In this case, teams like the Miami Heat needed that now
more than ever with days to the trade deadline.
Denial to Reality
When the story broke originally over X by ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania, contradiction
immediately followed. Some people thought the reliable NBA journalist’s account was hacked.
For clarity, Shams had to redress that he was not in fact hacked.
The three-team deal itself sent Luka with Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to Los Angeles,
Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round draft pick to Dallas, and Jalen Hood-Schifino, a 2025
second-round pick (originally from the Clippers) and a Mavs 2025 second-round pick to the Utah
Jazz.
Harrison was met with disbelief from front office members when he spoke of the idea. Dumont at
first laughed right in the GM’s face, he said. He is to admit, the trade wasn’t entirely a brainchild
by him, but a collaborative effort with Pelinka over months of “basketball conversations,”
according to The Dallas Morning News.
“We kept it between us, we had to. We had to keep it tight,” Harrison said of his conversations
with Pelinka. “Kidd didn’t know about it, but him and I are aligned... I think when you’re aligned
with your coach like that -- I know the type of players that he likes -- so I felt good about it
making sense on where we are trying to go.”
DEFENSE FORCES TRADES
A desire for an all-time defensive unit pushed Harrison, he said. Davis — an All-NBA Defensive
Team regular — will add to an already formidable front court of big men Derrick Lively and
Daniel Gafford. Luka’s lack of defensive effort and conditioning issues created tension in the
Mavericks’ commitment to the 25-year-old star. Luka would have potentially been up for a
five-year, $345 million contract extension with Dallas after this season.
Dallas’ GM looked ahead of this and decided that it would be best to move on from the former
lottery draft pick for a better chance to win now, and the foreseeable future. Harrison spoke a lot
of praise about Davis’ accolades and defensive stature throughout his 13-year NBA career. The
former 2013 No. 1 overall draft choice currently averages 25.7 points and 11.9 rebounds per
game, and holds a career average of 52.3 field goal percentage. It is the type of player he
believes will help his team win “now”.
“As we turn the page, I think that it’s important to know that (Jason) Kidd and I, we’ve had a
vision of the culture that we wanted to create since we've been here,” Harrison said. “The
players that we’re bringing in --- we believe they exemplify that. We think defense wins
championships.”
The Mavericks currently sit 8th in the Western Conference with multiple injury concerns toward
the second half of the regular season. The Lakers on the other hand are 5th with arguably two
of the best players in the league.
How the Heat can take advantage
In theory, it is unlikely the Heat can take advantage by asking for Luka right now. The trade
between the Mavericks and Lakers basically solidified how the rest of the season out west will
go. However, this does make Luka more available in 2026.
Included in the young star's contract is a player option, which could earn him $165 million over
three years if he decided to stay with an extension in the City of Angels. If not, he can opt out
and test the market for more money. Miami, who have been rumored to monitor Luka throughout
his career in Dallas, could sweep in to take the star.
Still, that is if Luka decided to not return to Los Angeles after the 2025-2026 season, and if Heat
forward Jimmy Butler is moved before the trade deadline on Thursday at 3 p.m. Butler currently
has been shopped around the league since he took up his latest suspension.
Knowing that a generational talent like Luka can be traded before his prime, it does leave some
hope for a big payout for Pat Riley and company down in South Beach. One name circulating
rumors is Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant. The three-time NBA champion would be an
immediate impact piece for Miami and match perfectly with Butler’s $48.79 million annual salary.
Of course that is if the trade would be a one-for-one with draft capital included. At 36 years old,
Durant is still one of the game's elite offensive perimeter threats, but it’s hard to bank on a future
past the current two years left on his contract. Also, if that trade did happen, Luka in 2026 for
the Heat would most likely be financially off the table.
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