Fake News.

The Cast
By The Fillerbuster
02/2/2025

PREAMBLE: It has been a minute since my last post. I actually pre-wrote a blog about three weeks ago. I got busy, the topics got old, and nothing was posted. This is different, and sort of exemplifies why I write this blog. I need something to inspire me to write a piece. Like others, I don’t have bandwidth to ramble in my stream of consciousness for hours on end (although that sounds fantastic personally). So, I need a topic to make me boil, make me want to scream, make me want to high five someone, make me want to cry, or move me emotionally enough to I put words on paper. It could be a legend passing, a tragic event, a memorable celebration, a long-standing record being broken, or a monumental trade. This is that story for this timeline. I don’t have all of the facts, as no one does, but inspiration sometimes needs a short-term solution/output. Forrest Gump just started running. Sometimes, I just started typing…

Barely edited or researched, and please forgive any grammatical errors or contract inaccuracies…

FAKE NEWS

I was on vacation with my wife years ago when Lindsey informed that, while most people slept, Kevin Durant was traded to the Warriors. The Warriors. The dynasty, still on the move to immortality Warriors. Adding an All-NBA player. Insane. And keeping Curry, Green, and Thompson. I made sure she wasn’t reading a fake news, trick website, but it ended up being true. My mind was blown. This event is similar. Late night alert. I doubted her initially and thought it was fake. I checked the calendar to make sure we weren’t already cruising into April.

But, let’s back up on this. I remember watching clips of Luka Doncic before the 2018 NBA draft. Since the league has changed, and foreign superstars seemingly presently outnumber US born superstars, I need to make sure I understand the background of each possible lottery pick. I was mesmerized by the clips. The kid was off the charts. I pretty much decided that wherever he landed, I would follow that team. He would be my guy in the NBA. My friends were like Luka who? You will find out, I told them.

Luka hit the ground running, and the league was forced to take notice. No impact had been felt like his, at such an early age, since LeBron in the early 2000’s (you are exempt from this piece as it is too early, Wemby). It became obvious that his path to superstardom had no obstacles. His feats suddenly started getting on hard entry lists with the greats. The Mavericks had found treasure where others had doubted.

Every superstar has side stories. His attitude, his weight, and his fitness followed as fine print by his ridiculous stats. His playoff years showed us moments that cemented his status, and he carried the Mavs to the NBA Finals just last year. The kid had arrived to ALL households, all courts, and all awards.

Luka is currently 25 years old. When a team stumbles on a generational talent, the general rule of thumb is that he is untradeable. And, talking heads included, NO one saw this monstrous trade (for Anthony Davis with some side players and picks) coming. No one.

So, let’s dive in. We are technically diving in before all of the information is out in the world. Heck, I don’t even know what Luka’s response was to this trade. Let’s just look at this from a high level, and try to conjure up what the hidden subplots are. Time will yield the results, the true and false future predictions, and the end game, but we have the freedom to discuss whatever we want in the meantime.

LAKERS: This one is easy. You are acquiring a 25 year old superstar, who has already proven his mettle, and who cements the success of the years after LeBron fades into the sunset in a year or so (I feel like we have been saying that for about five years-the guy is eternal). You are a team that the WORLD follows, whether a fan or not. You have a perennial legacy, you have had dynasties, and you have had some of the best ever to play hoops on your team at some point in their career. Of COURSE, you trade for Doncic when you are A) getting rid of an older superstar with injury problems and B) getting a legend-to-be in his early prime. Never mind the position difference. Never mind how each player blends into their new team’s chemistry (more on that item in a second). You do this trade on any day ending in a “y.” The Lakers get an “A” no matter who you are talking to, and I don’t think that is even a debate. IF, you want to find holes in the theory, you have A) his fitness and B) the overlap of positions (mildly since they can play multiple positions) with LeBron. But, he will probably have a little extra motivation on the fitness item since he is now with LeBron, and since he is now with a legacy franchise like the Lakers. As far as the positional overlap, who cares? This is about passing the torch on the team, and Luka has proven he is ready for that torch and that he will be a magnet for future free agent signings (along with the weather). The Lakers now have a new flag-bearer for the next decade. I worry about the defense, as the Lakers have now given away Alex Caruso and Anthony Davis in the last years, and everyone needs a multi-positional stopper somewhere in the lineup.

MAVERICKS: For the Mavericks. This is puzzling. I DID think it was fake news when my wife told me Saturday night before we went to bed. I DID think, like everyone else and their mother, that Luka was untradeable. Time will soon tell whether there were rumblings internally more than we already know about his fitness or work ethic, but the bottom line is this. They had a player who averaged the below, at age 25, who just took them to the Finals. They arguably had the face of the NBA on their team. People were going to see the Mavericks at away games just to get a glimpse of Luka. His play during games, his fun pre-game rituals, etc. The Mavericks receive Davis, which is a better fit as a Super Duo with Kyrie Irving (big guy, small guy), and which boosts their defensive presence. But, two players not involved in the trade were Daniel Gafford and Derrick Lively, who both are young, huge, frontcourt players on the up and up for Dallas. Puzzling how Davis will seamlessly fit into this puzzle. In a league run by multi-positional wing players, how do you get minutes for three frontcourt players who all bring something to the table? Now, they still lack a go-to wing and off-guard. You can conjure up arguments all you want, but I don’t see anything that disputes that some sort of internal strife was something more than the public might ever know. Luka was a steal from the 2018 draft, and they are risking a lot for a small window of winning time with a player that is 32 years old and the other being 33 years old…in a very competitive Western Conference.

JAZZ: Hey. Way to involve yourself uselessly in an NBA changing trade. You got some picks. Yay!

SUBSIDIARY PLAYERS: You can build them up all of you want, but it is a very future first round draft pick involved being given away by the Lakers, and the other players are firmly role players. Nothing substantial here either. Enjoy LA, the beach, and mostly the bench, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris. Enjoy no state taxes and hearing about how the Earth is flat, Max Christie. And enjoy Salt Lake City and…whatever that city has to offer, Jalen Hood Schifino.

FIT: As I mentioned, forget about the on-court fit of James and Doncic. They are multi-positional players who will adjust as needed. This is about the passing of the torch from one greatest of all time to another greatest of all time. It is curious since they are both ball-dominating players, but they will work it out in the short term, and legends can co-exist regardless. The future Laker teams will be built around Luka more strategically. For Dallas, I alluded to the bigs in Dallas. That is a tough answer, but the simplicity of the PG (Irving) and 4-5 combo (Davis) will work out well in simplistic theory. It CAN work on both sides, but will it? Chemistry in basketball is a delicate topic. Maybe they will be Brad Pitt and George Clooney, maybe they won’t. Well, I guess, if anything, they hope to be Matthew McConaughey in True Detective…a very short, but chemistry-full, crossing on the screen that we couldn’t turn away from.

(if you haven’t seen the first season of True Detective, than there is something wrong with you, by the way)

CUBAN: Sure, Mark isn’t the GM, and is a minority owner these days. But, you can’t tell me that this wasn’t run by him. It was, most likely. That being said, let’s not forget his business prowess. He wouldn’t have OK’d this if the facts and predictions weren’t confirmed a million times over. I would have loved to see the PPT on this proposal internally in Dallas. Mark is a billionaire, he is used to risks on Shark Tank and in his business, is beyond business-savvy, and it is similar to the Broncos in a way. We all doubted the Broncos when they let Russell Wilson go and drafted Bo Nix. But, Penner and the rest of the Walmart think tank believed in the plan. That seems to be working out OK (like how I threw in a local story in the argument?). Same here. Cuban let a superstar go, and maybe we should all worry about our own rationale on the situation, as Cuban is probably correct.

NUGGETS: Yes, I am reaching here. But, IF Luka needs a new contract next year, and IF he isn’t thrilled about this trade, and SINCE him and Jokic are good friends, maybe some texts will be traded on joining forces in the Mile High City in 2026-2027. Reaching, but it is possible.

PERSONAL: To be truthful, I am very sad. I love Luka as a player. I liked Luka in Dallas. I liked him trying to do what Dirk did, in raising a second-tier franchise to the highest level again. I like Mark Cuban. I don’t like the Lakers. I don’t like people who have “second favorite teams,” but drew an exception in this case since I follow players, not teams, in the NBA (Isiah Thomas, Allen Iverson, etc.). I still have the Nuggets. I will see how my allegiance goes for the Lakers, but I can’t imagine me ever truly rooting for them. One of Lindsey’s best friends is a Mavs fan, and that was our continual connection. His love for the Mavs, my love for Luka. Damn you, Mavs.

TIDBITS: Odd Ties. The GM of the Mavs, Nico Harrison, and the GM of the Lakers, Rob Pelinka have dealt with each other before. Harrison was the Nike manager on Kobe Bryant’s account when Kobe Bryant’s agent was Rob Pelinka. JJ Redick, Doncic’s new coach, went out of a game for the final time in his career while Luka was on the floor in Dallas. Jason Kidd, Davis’s new coach, was an assistance head coach for the Lakers during their Bubble Title run. Other stuff. Texas has no state tax, CA does. Big salary affect. Doncic is now not due the league max since he is switching teams. Doncic has an opt out after this season in his contract, so bidding will happen in the summer of 2026 again (unless Luka is happy about this trade). Apparently, LeBron James knew nothing about this upcoming trade, meaning all of our conspiracy theories on him running the team might NOT be true fully. Glad he is in the dark on something… Let’s also keep in mind one other thing. Luka wasn’t demanding a trade. Davis was only demanding a true center so he could play the 4. Neither superstar was unhappy (as far as we know)! They just…TRADED them. In today’s society, we are so used to spoiled players demanding things and controlling their destiny, that we can’t process things like this where two of the top ten players in the league…just got SWAPPED. Another thing that I find intriguing. Although these two players are easily near the top of the NBA in skills, neither one has saturated us nationally by advertising and being in commercials. Their brands are sort of unique. Neither has become the commercial fiend or most likeable, gravitating personality. Just my random two cents on that… One other thing. If you WANT to trade Luka, did you call everyone else? The Celtics are literally jammed with high level players where there aren’t enough balls on the court. Did you check everywhere, Dallas? Nothing else out there for star swaps?

MY PREDICTION: Kyrie and the Brow get a 5 seed and play the Lakers with Luka and LeBron as a 4 seed. Both will be middle of the road playoff teams. Neither will have social media material on each other after the second round. Kyrie will start complaining about something, Davis will complain about his role, and they will retool and probably trade one of them. Luka will opt out and go to another team in 2026, especially if LeBron plays another year in his forties. LeBron, meanwhile, will make all of this about LeBron somehow. Both teams will win a little, but it won’t be enough.

DISCLAIMER: All of the above I stand by UNLESS either team does one more thing before the trade deadline. Then, all bets are off.

More will come out on this. We know this. Things will become more clear, as they have to be when it is the first time that two reigning All-NBA players are traded midseason. Overall, I am personally blown away. For those of you who are not shocked by this development, you are lying. You are bluffing. Go try your hand at poker and watch Rounders (but if you haven’t watched Rounders at least one time in your life, there is something wrong with you too). This is a monumental shift in the NBA, where the winners and losers won’t be known until June as a first check-in. This is mind blowing. This is as crazy as the Durant trade to the Warriors years ago. This is a weekend in the NBA no one will ever forget. This was a bombshell dropped on the league. And this is NOT fake news.

Go Nuggets (fully, and as my sole team now)!