Lakers GM Rob Pelinka thanks Mavs' Nico Harrison for trading Luka Doncic to Los Angeles

By now, unless you live under a rock, you're more than familiar with the infamous trade that went down over the weekend. If not, then we should probably inform you that the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis. Yeah, that actually happened.

The Lakers didn't waste any time getting their new superstar in front of the media as Doncic was officially introduced during a press conference on Tuesday. He was joined by GM Rob Pelinka, who played a key role in pulling off the eye-popping deal.

Before the festivities got fully underway, Pelinka quickly offered his thanks to two people. The first was Lakers president and controlling owner Jeanie Buss, which makes a lot of sense, and the second was Mavericks GM Nico Harrison. Pelinka and Harrison have been familiar with each other for around two decades dating back to when the former was Kobe Bryant's agent and the latter was an executive at Nike.

Feb 4, 2025; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic poses for photos with general manager Rob Pelinka and head coach JJ Redick at UCLA Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

"The second person I want to thank, is anytime there's a trade or a transaction, there has to be a partner, and I want to thank the Dallas Mavericks, led by their GM Nico Harrison, who was also very instrumental in bringing this opportunity to us," Pelinka said on Tuesday. "And then staying true to the negotiations throughout where it could be culminated with the trade being finalized and Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris becoming members of our team. So, I wanted to thank those two people."

Pelinka revealed that discussions all started over a coffee about three weeks ago in Dallas after Harrison approached the Lakers with the concept of the trade. It's worth noting that the Mavericks hosted the Lakers in a 118-97 victory on January 7 - which adds up with the estimated timeline.

Feb 4, 2025; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic is introduced at UCLA Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The previous relationship and trust between Pelinka and Harrison helped the deal stay afloat through multiple hurdles.

"Because there was a partnership and a history of traveling the world between Nico and myself, working around Kobe Bryant, there was a fabric of trust in the discussions. These type of deals are incredibly intricate and complicated and along the way we knew there would be 248 insurmountable snags to get the end, and there were," Pelinka said. "So over the course of three weeks, call it, an issue would come up and we'd think there was no way to climb the mountain and we'd figure out a way and then the next issue would come up and you just keep going and you stayed committed to the work."

It's safe to say that Nico Harrison is arguably the most infamous person in Dallas right now and that won't be changing for a long time. Harrison is risking the present and future of the franchise with not much to gain.

The Full Breakdown Of The Luka Doncic Trade

Mavericks: Anthony Davis, Max Christie, 2029 Lakers first-round pick

Lakers: Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, Markieff Morris

Jazz: Jalen Hood-Schifino, 2025 Clippers second-round pick, 2025 Mavericks second-round pick

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