It was noisy when the Dallas Mavericks decided to trade away Luka Doncic in February. The Slovenian sensation was sent to the Los Angeles Lakers. The majority of Mavs supporters were expressing their disgust, general manager Nico Harrison was under pressure from constantly growing protests, the basketball world was stunned, but Jason Kidd was instead focusing on his team. “I was told by my boss, Nico, that we were going to make a change,” he said during an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show on Thursday, “This is in the hotel in Cleveland. And so he said the news was going to hit in an hour, and that’s how it went down.” “There was no arguing. This is what was going to take place. And so for me, it’s to move forward,” he explained his approach, “I thought my players and my coaching staff did an incredible job with, once they heard the news, of preparing to keep moving forward and especially with the trade and the injuries, I thought we did an incredible job.”

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May 16, 2025 | 9:12 am EDT Update

According to rival scouts and executives, the Lakers best’ assets (minus Reaves) are their 2031 first-round pick, second year wing Dalton Knecht and a bunch of expiring contracts. Some combination of them would be a must in any deal the team would make for a center. The free-agency options, like the in-season trade options, are considered to be pretty lean. Indiana center Myles Turner is set to be a free agent, but he was already out of the Lakers’ price range before the Pacers’ current run to the Eastern Conference finals. Brook Lopez is 37 and already had a one-year stint with the Lakers before leaving to play his best basketball elsewhere. Clint Capela could be an option depending on how the market reacts, but there are questions around the league about whether he’s still a full-time starter.