And another one... Just asked Giannis if he'd also be in for a 1-on-1 tournament at next year's All-Star game and got a very enthusiastic "I'll do it." Says it would have to go both ways - that to advance guys would have to defend 1-on-1 as well as score.
LeBron says he will not be in uniform for tonight's All Star game, says he is "still dealing with ankle and foot discomfort."
LeBron says having Luka on-board has "given me energy," but as for the idea that a 25-year-old superstar teammate could extend his career even more than he'd thought a couple weeks ago: "we'll see what happens."
LeBron on never doing the Dunk Contest: "There's no part of me that has regrets about not doing it."
Kyrie Irving told me he’s *IN* for a 1-on-1 tourney at All-Star weekend; he said the key to getting players to participate is to change the way we talk about it:
LeBron’s face at the end here 😎
LeBron wearing one of the Luka shirts fans will receive tonight for No. 77’s #Lakers debut. Sooo…What kind of numbers do we think Luka is putting up versus the Jazz?
Just imagine the yo-yo of Dalton Knecht’s life these past 72 hours
Steve Kerr says Jimmy Butler is excited to be with the Warriors: “That’s the whole point of making a big trade - you need an energy shift. It was obvious this team needed one.”
Was there the night MJ did it; here tonight. How time flies…
While the rest of the NBA world moves on to other trades, the Mavericks’ fan base is still angry - VERY angry - over the Luka deal. How much damage did the Mavs do to their relationship with their #MFFL fans?
LeBron on the trade: "First time I heard it, I thought it was for sure fake, thought it was a hoax, people messing around or whatever. But then when AD Facetimed me, I talked to him for quite a while, and even when I got off the phone with him, it still didn't seem real."
Luka on whether he had indicated in any way that he might not sign a supermax with Dallas: "Absolutely not."
Luka on all the talk about his conditioning issues: "It's a motive. I know it's not true....it's a big motive for a long run here."
Pelinka says that with how "dry" the trade market gets in the day or two before the deadline, if the Lakers do anything it will likely "be around the margins." Says a significant move for a big will most likely have to wait until the offseason.
Rob Pelinka on the possibility of more trades before the Thursday deadline: "we know our roster has continued work to do, to become complete," but "if there isn't a championship big on the market right now, I can't wave a magic wand and create the opportunity."
Luka on Mavs management making the trade: "That's their decision, so I have no comment on that. They made the decision, I don't know why."
Luka: "I was almost asleep so when I got the call, I had to check it wasn't April 1st. I didn't believe it at first." Says that LeBron called him not long afterward, which meant a lot to him.
Luka on his emotions after the trade: "Honestly that first day was really hard. I feel like this last 48 hours was one month." Adds: "emotionally it was really hard, but I'm happy to be here."
Luka is asked about some of the leaks and quotes coming out of the Mavericks' side of things right now: "At some point I knew this was going to happen, but I always take the high road." He then thanks the Dallas fans.
This trade much less of a surprise than last night’s and a great fit for Fox, who - if he plays his cards right - basically just won the lottery in getting to pair with Wemby for the next 5+ years, or beyond.
Luka Doncic’s goodbye to #Mavs fans: “I thought I’d spend my career here and I wanted so badly to bring you a championship.”
Btw, last night just another example of why it pays to be a West Coast NBA fan 😂
From Mavs GM Nico Harrison's press conf:
- "We think defense wins championships."
- "Time will tell if I'm right.”
- only spoke to Lakers about a Luka deal
- Mavs owner Patrick Dumont “laughed" at first when the trade was suggested to him but fully supported the deal
Quotes from Mavs GM Nico Harrison's press conference:
- "We think defense wins championships."
- "Time will tell if I'm right.”
- "Let's be clear: I'm the one making the decision and J [Kidd] is supportive of it.”
- "There's some unique things about [Luka's] contract that we had to pay attention to"
Jason Kidd says he found out about the Luka-AD trade right before it was announced and that it was "shocking" but that NBA is a business. Says: "I've been involved in trades - by the Mavericks." Also notes he coached AD when he was an assistant with the Lakers 2020 title team.
Even if you WERE gonna trade Luka, why not let other teams know and have a bidding war for him?
Chris Mannix and I break down allll the repercussions of this Luka-AD trade in an emergency edition of Sports Illustrated’s Open Floor, get it on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.
Pod with @rachel-nichols.bsky.social up on the SI YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUNh...
Really one of the most unexpected trades I can think of - it still feels like there’s a non-zero chance of someone saying “just kidding”
kinda can't believe she wrote it when she was 23. the perspective...
