The idea, as Nico Harrison put it, was to get “ahead of a tumultuous summer.” That was one of many justifications tendered for the Dallas Mavericks’ earth-shaking decision to trade Luka Donu010diu0107 to the Los Angeles Lakers in the wee hours of Feb. 2 for a package headlined by Anthony Davis — one of the most stunning transactions, in-season or otherwise, in NBA history.
Donu010diu0107’s exploits in Dallas had earned him the opportunity to negotiate a supermax extension after this season — a mega-deal that could have cost the Mavericks up to an estimated $345 million over five years.