“Probably The Worst Decision In Modern Basketball History. Terrible.” - NBA Players Did Not Hold Back When Sharing Their Thoughts About The Luka Doncic Trade

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In what was, for the most par,t as close to a "must win" as you can get for it only being Game 2 of a playoff series, Luka Doncic stepped up and provided just enough Luka Magic to take back momentum and help the Lakers secure a very much needed Game 2 win to even their series at 1-1 against the Wolves as things now shift to the Twin Cities

Not to say he was bad in Game 1, he wasn't, but last night's performance was the type of showing that definitely reinforced what a moron Nico Harrison is. The energy and production from Luka to start set the tone for the rest of the game. When he gets into that mode, he's one of the most unguardable players in the league. Once that stepback three is feeling good, you're in a tough spot as an opposing defense. This was the type of player we saw carry the Mavs to the Finals last year, and why it's probably not the best idea to give up on a 25 year old generational talent.

But that's enough Lakers positivity from me. I feel gross even typing it all out, even if it was the truth last night. So instead I'd like to focus on another very interesting anonymous NBA player poll from The Athletic. Yesterday, we got the player survey where it covered everything from the most overrated player in the league, to the best and worst organizations etc.

Today, the topic is how players felt about the Luka Doncic trade. It was a pretty big moment, not sure if you remember.

Naturally, most of the responses were what you would expect, while a couple certainly stood out to me

“Probably the worst decision in modern basketball history. Terrible.”

“Psychotic. It didn’t make sense. I don’t know how you make it make sense.”

For those who thought Nico Harrison was a moron, there were a lot of quotes like these two above and you know what? Outside of Lakers fans, it's hard to disagree. Would anyone debate that it wasn't the worst decision in modern basketball history? WOuld anyone suggest it wasn't psychotic or that it made sense? I don't think so

The next part I found interesting is an angle that many talked about during the immediate fall out of the trade. How would the Mavs look to the rest of the league as an organization? Doing the trade is one thing, bad basketball moves happen all the time. But the way the Mavs immediately slandered Luka and tried to create that narrative around him was baffling, and it's fair to wonder how other players around the league would now view the Mavs as a franchise. 

“Insane. I don’t like how they pushed a narrative after. If you just wanted to trade him, then stand on it.”

“Dallas did Luka Dončić wrong.”

I mean, there are worst things that can happen to a generational player than being traded to the Lakers, so I don't exactly agree that they did him wrong in that regard. All the leaks and narrative bullshit? Yeah, that was messed up. Especially when Nico and the Mavs immediately denied doing it as if we all didn't see the quotes and the leaks. Where do they think people believe those came from?

Aside from potentially not being competitive, it'll be fascinating to see what the fallout looks like for future free agents when it comes to signing in Dallas as long as this front office is in charge. 

And while you may think that NBA players were universal in their feelings about the trade, that apparently isn't the case. Some people out there think that actually, it wasn't that bad

“I think it was a good trade on both ends. I feel like L.A. got two steps better with Luka. And I feel like AD is going to fit perfect in Dallas. I feel like it wasn’t a trade where you’re just, like, ‘Oh, they won it.’ Or, ‘They won it.’ I feel like the swap was great.”

“I feel like it worked out for both parties. The Lakers got their future star because LeBron is probably gonna retire in the next year or two. Dallas wanted to win now. They needed another defensive stopper. They got Kyrie (Irving) over there. They got a lot of wings and role players, so I think it worked for both teams.”

“I don’t think it was bad. I think it was just two different outlooks on what gets the job done. If you look in the past, they’ve had success. So they know better than what we know, and I think if AD gets back to a healthy level, then everything would be good for both sides.”

“I see both sides. A lot of people want to say it was dumb. I see the vision. I could see both teams benefiting. I think the Lakers probably benefited a little bit more as far as longevity. But if Dallas wants to win now, it’s not a bad move.”

“I was shocked, but it made sense. Money-wise, they didn’t wanna pay him all that money. They’re all hurt right now, but I actually thought it was a good trade.”

Is there any doubt that these are all Lakers players? Either that or this was a Mavs player being held at gunpoint in an effort to try and change the narrative. Those are really the only two explanations.

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Also, this was absolutely LeBron 

“I think it’s phenomenal decision. So smart. Wise. I’m a Nico Harrison fan.”

Unfortunately for the Mavs, it's far too late to put the toothpaste back in the tube. What I always find interesting with these pieces is that it's one thing for fans and media who look at a trade and form opinions on it. We're all operating somewhat in the dark of the inner workings of the league. But the players/GMs/etc that we see in these polls provide an interesting perspective considering they're "in it". So, to see that the majority of the players in the NBA had pretty much the same reaction as all of us, sort of tells you everything you need to know.