Luka Dončić traded ... one week later
We have compiled a full week's worth of fresh reporting on a trade that much of the NBA is still struggling to process
DALLAS — The most unexpected trade in NBA history is officially one week old.
Yet I still get the same question several times a day:
What really happened?
Luka Dončić has been a very visible presence in Los Angeles ever since his introductory news conference Tuesday. Anthony Davis made his Dallas Mavericks debut on Saturday. Yet you can also say, in a weird way, that not much has changed when it comes to the Dončić-for-Davis blockbuster.
Disbelief remains prevalent throughout the NBA and especially in Dallas, where that is merely one of the smothering sentiments in the air.
This is a city trying to sort through heartbreak, outrage and, presumably, fresh waves of all-over-the-place emotions after watching Davis look like the most dominant two-way player on the planet for two quarters in Saturday's matinee victory over visiting Houston ... only to see him exit the third quarter with an injury. This was followed Sunday morning by the first public comments regarding the trade from new Mavericks majority owner Patrick Dumont, who in an interview with The Dallas Morning News only added to the perception that the Mavericks don't believe Dončić worked hard enough or cared sufficiently, saying among many comments in this area: "If you want to take a vacation, don't do it with us."
The most daunting short-term challenge for the team's fans in their post-Dončić existence, of course, is what happens next. As first reported by The Stein Line, Dončić is targeting Monday night's visit by the Utah Jazz to Lakerland for his debut in purple and gold. Which is sure to unleash a new rush of grief and who knows what else for the numerous local residents wounded by the trade.
Even after everything that happened leaguewide during the wildest NBA trade deadline in memory, this is the story that still has everyone talking. And wondering.
So ...
Here are 10 fresh helpings of my latest insider Intel — yet again served up FAQ-style — to take you behind the scenes on a stunning trade that has legitimately reverberated worldwide:
We're still waiting, Stein. What was the real reason for the trade?
I hear you.