Adam Silver makes his feelings known on fallout of Luka Doncic trade for Dallas fans
The NBA world was stunned when Luka Doncic was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers from the Dallas Mavericks earlier this season. Fans were shocked, including NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
Silver joined "The Pat McAfee Show" on Wednesday to discuss his feelings about the controversial trade. Silver acknowledged why Dallas fans were upset, but also spoke to the good intentions behind the trade.
He said in no way does he believe the move was made for any other reason than basketball.
"The only place where I feel defensive on behalf of the Dallas Mavericks and new ownership there is there were some suggestions early on that the trade wasn't done for basketball reasons...the only thing I can say and I feel very confident in this...is they believed they were making the best trade," Silver said.
Silver added that his relationship with Nico Harrison extends back to when Harrison was a longtime executive at Nike. He said he believes Harrison is trying to do the best he can to run the Mavericks franchise.
"It's been a rough time since they made the trade there's no question about it," Silver added. "I get the fans passion. I understand why Dallas Mavericks fans are so upset. I'm personally a fan of Luka Doncic. I think he's a great young man. Let's see how this turns out."
The Mavericks have been on the initial losing side of the trade as injuries to stars Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving hurt the immediate impact of the blockbuster deal.
Doncic, Lebron James and Austin Reeves have looked like the next big three to be reckoned with as the Lakers enter the playoffs as the third seed in the Western Conference. The Lakers will face the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs.
Doncic has also averaged 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 7.7 assists in his first season with the Lakers. The Dallas Mavericks, however, have fallen to the 10th seed at the start of the Play-In Tournament.
Silver is proud of how the Dallas Mavericks are battling to keep their season alive
With their season on the line, the Dallas Mavericks needed to win two consecutive games at the start of the Play-In Tournament to reach the eighth seed and the NBA Playoffs.
The Mavericks handled business on Wednesday, defeating the Sacramento Kings 120-106, and will now go on to face Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies in the second round of the Play-In Tournament.
Silver spoke on the same episode of "The Pat McAfee Show," expressing how proud he was of the Mavericks' ability to keep fighting after all that has happened this season.
"I'm proud of that team," Silver said. "They're still playing hard. They still have a chance to play into the playoffs."
The Mavericks tip off on the road in Memphis at 9:30 p.m. for a chance at a first-round series with the Oklahoma City Thunder.