Warriors star Jimmy Butler 'baffled' by Mavericks trading Luka Doncic to Lakers

Jimmy Butler thinks there's a lot more to the Luka Doncic trade than what has been told so far.

Mar 7, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) looks the ball past Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) during the second half at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks' decision to trade Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers will go down as one of the more memorable and confusing trades in NBA history, if not the worst trade ever. Doncic had just led the Mavs to the NBA Finals the season before, but then Nico Harrison decided he had enough and dumped Doncic in the middle of the night.

Among the many people confused by the transaction was Golden State Warriors star Jimmy Butler III, who was also traded last season. The only difference is that he wanted out of Miami. Butler recently talked about the Doncic trade and how it still confuses him to this day.

"I just thought when you used the word 'untradeable,' 'untouchable,' you'd think Luka Doncic is one of those guys, honestly," Butler started. "I don't know, it doesn't have too much to do with me, I'm still just, I was baffled by it. I'm still baffled by it. It just doesn't look right. It's just… crazy," Butler stressed. There's always more to it.

"Everybody else is always on the outside looking in, so you only know what you read, you only know what you read from socials. You don't know what was really going on behind closed doors. And everybody's going to latch onto whatever narrative they want to believe and whatever clickbait is put out there. But there's always more to these stories. I don't know, I don't know, but I can guarantee you there is more, and there's always a reason behind everything. Do I know the reason? No." 

Jimmy Butler comments on Luka Dončić trade pic.twitter.com/AiKHWU3LV6

— Luka Updates (@LukaUpdates) September 8, 2025

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The Luka Doncic Trade Could've Killed the Mavericks if Not for Cooper Flagg

It's safe to say that a vast majority of the fanbase was completely out on the Mavericks after the trade. He was the follow-up to Dirk Nowitzki, was going to be a Mav for life, and fans could look forward to watching him for years and years to come. When Nico Harrison traded him, it was understandable that nearly everyone revolted, especially when the reason was for "winning now."

Landing Cooper Flagg has brought some fans back in, but they have to prove they can win at the rate at which they did when Doncic was here. Anthony Davis hasn't always been the most successful first option, and Kyrie Irving is out for part of the year while he recovers from ACL surgery. So, there is a lot of pressure on this team, and they may not have the means to deliver.

READ MORE: Recent extensions may handicap Dallas Mavericks

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