Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade: Adam Silver defends Nico Harrison, Patrick Dumont over controversial deal

NBA commissioner Adam Silver is speaking out on the Luka Doncic trade that sent shockwaves through the league. At the trade deadline, the Dallas Mavericks opted to move their young superstar to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis and Max Christie.

Many criticized the move for the Mavericks, including some of their own fans who protested both in and outside the arena. The team even removed some fans who mouthed on the jumbotron and held up signs advocating for the firing of general manager Nico Harrison.

Amid all the buzz surrounding the trade, Silver spoke with media during NBA All-Star Weekend on Saturday. He acknowledged the way the fan base feels about the deal but also stood firm in his believe that the Dallas front office made the trade earnestly.

“In terms of anger in the fanbase, I’m empathetic,” Silver said. “I understand it. Dallas was in the Finals last year. Also, I’ve said this, I like Luka very much. I actually met him before he came into this league when he was at Real Madrid when we were over there playing a preseason game. It seems truly authentic that he was stunned and disappointed. You could see it in his body language. Having said all that, I also am sympathetic to the Mavericks organization. I’ve known Nico Harrison a long time from his prior tenure at Nike and I’ve gotten to be close to Patrick Dumont. 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.”

Unfortunately for the Mavericks, Davis suffered an injury while making his debut for the franchise and is reported to be out multiple weeks. That hasn’t helped the perception of the trade, to say the least, as Davis is a player who has a history of missing time.

Some have begun to speculate that perhaps the ownership, with some suggesting Dumont could be wanting to move the team to Vegas. But he has shut down those rumors and Silver did the same Saturday.

“I have absolutely no knowledge or belief or any ulterior motive,” he said. “There’s no doubt in my mind that Dumont bought that team to keep it in Dallas. I have no doubt whatsoever that theyre committed to the longterm success of that franchise. In terms of the Dallas fans, all I can say to them is again, time will tell whether it’s a smart trade, but they should believe in their organization. Their organization truly made a trade that they believe was in the best interest of their organization.

“That doesn’t mean they were right or wrong, but it’s very difficult to put yourself in their shoes. They are living with the situation. They have a philosophical belief on what’s necessary to win championships and I’m not in a position to second-guess that.”

As of the All-Star break, Dallas currently sits in eighth place in the Western Conference standings. We’ll see if it can get Davis healthy and make a postseason push, but there’s understandably still a lot of bewliderment regarding the move.