Next on the drive, Tim McMahon dropping dimes for your NBA daily assists.
Van McMahon Van mcman That is beating old Land, Texas flood as its mud. He's and Manvan McMahon Van mcman Then man.
All right, Tuesday afternoon. You know what that means. Time for our Tuesday staple. And my goodness, gracious, I don't know how it's been for our guy, Tim McMahon over the past seventy two hours. Tim, are you sleeping, are you eating, are you hydrating or are you just working right now?
I got a little bit of sleep the last couple of nights, not so much the night before that. I don't think I've had lunch. I've been in this particular stop in the strip, but I'm seeing and breakfast in a little bit of dinner show.
All right, my man, Well, I appreciate the time, and look, you know, like everybody else, I've been trying to make sense of what's happened over the past few days. And like everybody else, I've been trying to talk to people around the league about if they knew about this, what their thoughts were. I've had more than a few NBA front office people text me and say this is simply Dallas being concerned about his condition and is off the court habits and his long term health and whether or
not he's durable. And then there are conspiracy theories left and right. I guess I'm going Aukham's razor here and just believing in the most basic of explanations.
But you're the guy for this.
Why would Dallas trade a twenty five year old Luka Doncics right in the start of the prime of his career.
Yeah, I mean the first one is the accurate one. They did not feel that they can make a three hundred and fifty million dollar investment, which would have been a supermax number roughly in a player who has not shown the willingness of the discipline to himself to conditioning who you know, they're they're fearful, he's his body has already broken down at the age of twenty five. You know, he's missed uh twenty seven games already this season. They
don't feel like the messaging is getting through. They aren't seeing the habits change. Honestly, they feel like in some ways things have gotten worse. And look that stuff is
all the primary stuff. There's also like Luca has been very attached, very aloof you know, there have been some changes in the kind of behind the scene staff of the Mavericks where they've fired a lot of people who Luca considered considered his friends, you know, and you know, as a result, at least partly as a result, the communication between Luca's quote unquote body team and the Mavericks
was unpleasant and minimal, to say the least. The communication between Luca and Nikhil Harrison has been minimal, And this is where Nico ultimately decided, I don't trust him, I don't want to rely on him. I don't care how talent he is. I'm going to go get one of my guys. And Anthony Davis has been more than Miikel Harrison guys since Ad was a you know, a teenage big time prospect and Mikol was throwing the basketball division at niceties.
So ultimately, let me let me follow up, because you've been on the ground there and you understand this dynamic better than any media member I could talk to. Like, I'm just simply of the opinion that you do not trade him, that you do not trade Luka Doncicch at twenty five years old, because in my opinion, he's one of the top two or three players in pro basketball.
I don't think I'm alone.
So that, to me, Tim indicates that behind the scenes it must be a lot worse than anybody indicates. Is he just is he? Is he a malcontent? Is he a pain? Does he great on people?
Like?
Just how bad has it become behind the scenes there?
I mean, it is the difficult, is he high manlans? Yeah, sure, one hundred percent. Are the conditioning concerned? Legitimate? Absolutely? Did he Adams thirty four, ten and nine and leads the team to the NBA Finals months ago? Yes? You know? And so I'm with you as far as you just cannot trade that type of talent during the state his career when he should be enter any crime.
What has the reaction been?
I mean, I imagine I know the answer, But with Mavericks fans, what what has been the town and tenor of the fan base down there?
Indeed, it's it's Saturday when the Matticks are back home. I fear it will be toxic act here. And I could say there's been sing backlash, is I you know? I saying Luca uh looked at a production season last year. It's a massive understatement. Uh this This fan base is angry, it is heartbroken, you know, as Luca felt Blines having been in the trade, and the fan base feels out as well. You know the answer. I mean, you know, there's protests outside the American Airline Center. People are canceling
season safety. It's like it's not gonna it's gonna be a not a not a nice vibe. I would say, when the matters get back into town and I have a home homestand coming up starting on Saturday.
A lot of people, including our mutual friend Tom Haverstrow who joined the show yesterday and his podcast partners, you know, they're they're bringing up this theory floated out by a Dallas area attorney and I've read the Twitter threat and I've read the reactions to it that this new ownership group after Mark Cuban sold his majority shares last year. This addleson group who has interest in Vegas, in the Vegas Sands casino. This is a long term play for
them to take the Mavericks to Las Vegas. That doesn't land with me, Tim. I would imagine only having Luca on a roster gives you more leverage to do things you want to do. But any is there any meat on that bone at all? I I can't follow that logic. But you're the guy for this.
What do you think you listen, I've seen that U. I don't think there's any meat on the bone. I don't think that the NBA would allow the Mavericks to move to Vegas where you know, ultimately they have plans who have an expansion franchise that will pay a whole lot of money to be there, you know, the whole Adilson Dumont Las Vegas Sans groups ambitions are to get gambling legalized in Dallas and to build a massive resort
casino to include the new arena. They already have all this stuff in Vegas, so you know, I've seen all
that as well. I will say this, I was told by somebody in that in that high powered Dallas attorney community that this is a big time blow to any any plans they had of accompition their goals of getting gambling legalized, because frankly, I don't think that they understood just the financial potential, financial financial ramifications of trading LUKA DONCIS and trading the face of the franchise, who is just adored, like by fan base, you know, the most
the most talented player in franchise history, for sure. And that's a mouthful because Dirk scored thirty thousand some odd points. And I can't say most popular because Dirk was there so long and so beloved, but definitely the most spectacular, no question about that. And those he sold a lot of jerseys, He sold a lot of tickets, he sold a lot of sponsorships, and I think all those things are going to take a significant hit.
Is there any way before we get over to the Lakers side of this, and then of course I want to talk about the jazz side of this as well. But is there any way? Because Luca is so good, people are talking about Anthony Davis like he's Jerome James for the Knicks. I mean, Anthony Davis is good and he played in seventy two games last year. He's been really good this year. Is there any way this works out in Niko's favor? Can you expand your horizons to get to that point?
I mean, yeah, it's within the realm of possibility. I would have done the trade, but it is within the realm of possibility. I have talked to a couple of gentlemanners who felt like this move made them better immediately.
It definitely crunches the time frame. You know, Nico's said they're built to a now and in the future, then clarify the features being the next three to four years, which is interesting because the issue there is they start having a fix theyo in twenty seven and then twenty eight, in twenty nine of the thirty and by the play the last three of those were their neighbors in Oklahoma City to any other Chief Texas teams with picks and swaps, But like Dallas is going to be eight if they
if they're healthy, this is going to be a team that's a tough matchup in the playoffs for sure. And hey, if they're right about Luca and he doesn't, you know, dedicate himself as body breaks down, then yeah, he could end up being right. I don't know the odds in his favorite because again, just for the level of this guy's talents, I mean, we're talking about one of the best players through the age twenty five, maybe the best what's ever seen.
No, you just you don't do this trade. You just don't. And I'm not going to back off that assertion. But let me ask you the question that everybody's been kicking around that I'm honestly conflicted about.
We had mcminimon on you yesterday. I kind of asked him the same thing.
So I get the whole side of this, like why didn't you open this up for business? Why didn't you shop him to get a package that is better than what you got? But I also understand that if you know, according to your reporting and others, that Nico was just long for Anthony Davis, maybe this was just tunnel vision because that's the dude he wanted. But what's your take on the dynamic of Nico not opening this up for an open market bidding war.
Yeah, I definitely have heard a lot of criticisms about that. You know, the reason one is locked in Anthony Davis, that's the guy he wanted. Two, he did not want to give Luca and his agent, Bill Duffi, one of the most respected agents in the league, a chance to have any influence on this, a chance to you know, uh, cut off discussions, you know, tell team we're not resigning a chance to muddy the waters. That also, he wanted this thing to be absolutely done in secrecy. That's the logic,
you know. I don't know, man, So yeah, it's I would have at least wrote it out the rest of the season, and they didn't want to. They didn't want to mid season saga in terms of Luca's on the block and all the drama went along with that. I would have wrote it out the rest of the season at the minimum. Yeah, and and and handle if you want to handle out business, handle it in the summer.
You know, I knew just how frustrated they were with him, from Nico to Jason Kidd, you know, throughout for an office, the you know, the code and staff, et cetera. I even had people mentioned, you know, if we got trade, will trade him. I thought they were blowing smoke. I'd never imagine they would actually do it. I you know, you hear a lot of people huff and puff, like, man, all right, I'm glad you'll let off some steam there. Let's be real. Well it was real.
Yeah, and I'm still stunned.
I thought maybe more information would come out after I got the alert on my phone to this day to day, but it's still as stunning right now as it was when it happened.
The Lakers side of this, Tim.
You know, when it comes to people that believe that the NBA is a scripted WWE league, they look at the Lakers and they say Wilt to Cream, Cream to Magic, Magic to Shaq and Kobe Shaq and Kobe Lebron, Lebron to Luca. For me, it doesn't change my calculus on them this year, but it does reset them for another decade plus. What are your thoughts on what appears to be just another slam dunk move for the LA Lakers.
What does this mean for them?
I mean, obviously there's the risk of the hell stuff, but they got the most talented twenty five year old in the league right now. The mostly I mean, this is a boon for the Lakers, and like you said, it basically played with the Brons for the next probably a year and a half and off the baton. You know. The hope certainly is that he will learn from the barn guy he idolized as a kid growing up in Slovenia.
That would be wise. Maybe this is the massive slap in the face that Luken needs to really just lock in to, you know, the around the clock professionalism that you need to put yourself in a position to fully achieved what is just immense potential. But dude, like the Lakers had to do this, and then you know they've got a huge hole center. Now the length was very clear. That's gonna have to wait until the summer. I can assure you this rim running BigMan will be lying enough
to out against the Lakers. I can guarantee you that.
No doubt, all right.
The portion of your reporting that has received the most amount of tension around here is that the Utah Jazz did not know what deal they were facilitating, and according to what you and Ramona wrote, even Danny had only about thirty minutes notice, according to your sources. Dave mcminniman coroborated your source yesterday. Dave said his source says the Jazz were quote flying blind.
How how like? How does this happen?
If you're one of the executives of the three teams involved with the transaction, don't you want to know every single detail about the transaction, including the fact that you own their twenty twenty seven first round pick, top four protected and suddenly you have just given them the ability to make sure that pick is probably in the twenties.
This to me, tim is not a great look. So unpack this for us.
Well, listen, I hear what you're saying that you're assuming the Jazz are their only options, and they weren't. I can promise you that the first I heard, the first time I heard run this was and I got a call from another team that say, I paid, what are the Maps trying to do? They're trying to get us to take on a sub five million dollars salary. I think it's from another team and all those hellaces. They're
targeting a front court player. And so they were calling around to, you know, to the handful of teams that were in a position to facilitate this. And so it's not like if Danny, if Danny Ainge and Justin Zanner said okay, lay them on the brakes, we're not doing this, that the deal falls apart. The deal would have still gotten done. The Jazz just would have gotten a couple of second round picks out of it.
So with what the Jazz have done over the past few days to transactions really helping teams, the Clippers get under the luxury tax, the Lakers get Luca, it appears that Danny and Justin are simply willing to trade almost everybody on the roster outside of the young kids they like, and obviously marketing if any team is willing to give up assets and draft capitals, so that leads us. I was told this morning John Collins will not be playing for the Jazz after Thursday.
Your thoughts on that then?
Of course Sexton, he's spraying his ankle last night and Clarkson came in and actually played pretty well. I wondered if any GM was watching last night. I was like, hey, maybe you can't help, but what do you anticipate between now and Thursday afternoon here in Salt Lake from the Jazz.
I assure you there are plenty of scouts of jazz games these days. I mean they're going to be They're going to be busy. College has certainly played himself to a point where you know there's interest there. I assume something probably gets sell with him, and it wouldn't you know, if you're asking me about those three guys in particular, how many of them are traded? I probably put the overrunner at one point five.
Yeah, now that that feels right. The last thing, how does the how does the Butler thing play out? What are your thoughts on the Jimmy Butler trade.
I don't have like it's gone from shipping anywhere to Phoenix or bus. I just didn't like, dude, I don't see a Phoenix trade. Brad may be able to have to okay it, and there would have to be a place he wants to go that wants to have them, and I don't think that's the case right now. And so you know, again, this like clear empowerment has taken
a pretty strong shift this week. I feel just with the way the Jimmy say we'll see you know, the Jimmy stuff it ain't over, but certainly with the way that Luca was just blindsided and dumped, and then you know the way that Jimmy saga has played out to this point, it does feel like there's been this shift where these are two cases of two superstars we just haven't been able to get their way.
Yeah.
Well what a wild week, man. You guys have done a great job. So keep up the great work. Tim, appreciate the time. We'll set you loose.
Be good, Okay, I appreciate you.
Brother.
Tim McMahon covers THEES.
He covers the NBA for ESPN, specifically he's their Mavericks guy.
When the jazz are interesting, he's their jazz guy. He wrote a.
Book about Luca that actually publishes March twenty fifth, and he and Ramona Shelburne wrote that piece about detailing kind of all the happenings how this all went down, and Tim and Ramon are the one that reported the jazz
had no idea exactly which deal they were facilitating. Now, Tim makes a good point if the weren't willing to do this because I don't know, Like, let's say, Danny and Justin got a call from Nico, got a call from Rob Polenku, by the way, was dressed like he's the lead singer of a bad Bond jovie band this morning and said, look, we need you to send a little bit of cash. In both of our directions. We're going to ask you to absorb this young rookies not
a very good player. It's second you're actually Jalen Hood Chafino, and for your troubles, we're going to give you two second round picks. And what is happening is the Lakers are getting Luka Doncic and really everything else is irrelevant. I mean, if they knew all the details of that trade, do they still step in and do it now? To Tim's point, the Dallas Mavericks and the LA Lakers had other options at their disposal to try to make this happen, so if the Jazz didn't do it, they wouldn't have
received two second round picks. Luca is a Laker, and that twenty twenty seven LA Laker top four protected pick doesn't look near as good as it did forty eight hours ago. So we'll see if the Jazz are done prior to that Thursday trade deadline