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Lakers owner Jeanie Buss is proud of how tight-lipped her team remained in the days prior to the official announcing of franchise’s trade for Luka Doncic from the Mavericks, simply for the sake of the team’s development.
The three-team blockbuster trade that saw the Lakers also receive Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-rounder completely shocked the NBA world in the early hours of Feb. 2.
The aftermath saw Mavericks fans rally in protest several times, including holding a mock funeral for Doncic on the trade day and holding “Fire Nico” signs at games.
Imagine if leaks had gotten through.
It crossed Buss’ mind.
She didn’t want it to be “unfair” to the team and have it serve as a distraction.
She was happy it was “surprising to all the parties involved.”
“It was really important to me that we didn’t blow up the team,” Buss said Thursday before 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 general manager Nico Harrison explained the deal happened for several reasons, including their concerns over Doncic’s conditioning and lifestyle choices.
The team first came to the Lakers — the only team approached for this deal — with the idea Jan. 7 while the team was visiting in Dallas.
“The trade deadline is part of the business. It increases the level of stress for everybody,” Buss said. “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 role in 2013 following the death of her father, Dr. Jerry Buss, has seen her Lakers taking off recently as the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference.
L.A. has won 16 of its last 20 games.
The team has also gone 6-2 in the games Doncic, the five-time All-Star, has played since arriving in Los Angeles.
