Adam Silver finally spoke out on the Luka Dončić trade from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers and his role in the events that followed. Silver is the NBA commissioner and the face of the league when it comes to upper management and ownership.
Since Silver and league officials hold the highest authority, they were informed about the Dončić trade before the public. Recently, on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Silver made an unexpected appearance and shared his thoughts on the deal.
Adam Silver Defends Dallas Mavericks in Aftermath of Trading Luka Dončić
The trade that sent Dončić to the Lakers stunned the NBA community. Fans had no idea the relationship between Dončić and the Mavs was deteriorating. On top of that, he’s seen as a generational talent still entering his prime.
So trading Dončić for Anthony Davis — and shrinking Dallas’ championship window — was heavily criticized.
When the Mavericks and Lakers finalized the agreement, they contacted the league office. Silver said that’s when he found out about the trade, but he was quick to point out that he had no power to block it, despite what some fans believed.
“Yeah, so first, just to clarify, the commissioner doesn’t have the right to block a trade other than a trade not conforming to our rules, so and so you alluded to David Stern once blocking a trade.
“I get how confusing it was to fans, but he was both the commissioner and the acting owner for the New Orleans franchise at the time, and so a trade was recommended to him by the general manager, and he turned down that trade based on what he thought was in the best interest of the franchise…”
"Just to clarify, the commissioner doesn't have the right to block a trade." 😅
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver with @PatMcAfeeShow on the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade 👀 pic.twitter.com/suYYq1mLV8
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA)
Silver was referring to the trade that could’ve sent a young Chris Paul to the Lakers to pair with Kobe Bryant. Then-commissioner David Stern had the authority to veto it because he was acting as the de facto owner of the New Orleans franchise at the time.
Silver then addressed the more recent Dončić-Davis trade.
“But in this situation with Luka. I learned… the league office learns a little ahead of the public because to the point of leagues approving trades. It’s kind of like a closing at a house. Both teams have to be on the phones. The lawyers and the basketball folks at the league office have to make sure that the contracts match, that the team indeed does have the cap room to make the trade, and that it complies with our rules.
“So I learned when they called the trade into the league office, and again, I don’t really have a role in that process unless there’s a dispute as to the mechanism of the trade.”
Though he could’ve ended there, Silver took the opportunity to show support for the Mavericks and their ownership in the wake of heavy criticism.
“The only place where I feel defensive on behalf of the Dallas Mavericks and new ownership is that there were some suggestions early on that the trade wasn’t done for basketball reasons. That somehow new owner didn’t want to pay a maximum salary, or was focused on building a new real estate development, or something else.
“The only thing I can say, and I feel fairly confident in this thing, knowing Patrick Dumont, who’s the governor of the team, and the people involved. They believed that they were making the best trade on behalf of the Dallas Mavericks. Whether that turns out to be true, only time will tell.”
When the Mavs first traded Dončić, some fans were so stunned that conspiracy theories began circulating, accusing the new ownership of trying to “tank the franchise.” Silver made it clear he believed both teams acted with basketball in mind and pushed back on those claims.
To reference the NBA commissioner, only time will tell who won this trade.
