When the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a first-round pick on February 1, the entire world was trying to understand why Dallas would make this move out of nowhere less than a year after making the NBA Finals.
Even after Nico Harrison revealed that he made this move on his own, as he and Rob Pelinka kept the details about their negotiations a secret, fans were speculating if anyone else within the organization knew about the Doncic trade outside of Patrick Dumont.
Kyrie Irving and Jason Kidd were two people within the Mavs organization who caught strays from fans about the Doncic trade, with fans claiming they knew about it before it went down, but both of those theories have been debunked.
Kidd and Doncic not speaking is bad omen for any future return
Irving stood up for Doncic after the trade when he was getting heavily criticized by the Mavericks organization, and reports in the weeks following the trade revealed that Kidd was not happy about Harrison’s decision to trade Doncic. Kidd truly had no idea about Harrison’s Doncic trade until about one hour before it went down, but Doncic may not see it that way.
On The Dan Patrick Show, Kidd talked about the details surrounding the trade and how he didn’t know about it until it hour before it went down at the team hotel in Cleveland. Kidd responded to the news by going back to his room and thinking about how he was going to figure out how to make things with Davis and Max Christie.
Kidd also said that he texted Doncic the morning after the trade went down, but he hasn't heard from him since.
"I don’t think he was too happy," Kidd said. "And just again, from the experience of being traded, maybe being surprised, upset, feelings are high. But again, I loved the opportunity of coaching Luka. He’s an incredible person, and we all know his talent is one of the best in the world...And I’ve always said this publicly and privately, I wish Luka the best. He’s one of the best players in the world."
Doncic and Kidd not communicating despite him being his head coach for multiple seasons shows he could believe that Kidd knew about the trade, and them not speaking after either matchup between the Mavs and Lakers after the trade says something.
Kidd has been insistent that he had no idea about the Doncic trade until right before it happened, and everything that has been reported backs that up, but Doncic clearly feels differently. The fact that Kidd and Doncic don't seem to be on the best of terms likely destroys the possibility of Doncic returning to Dallas as long as Kidd is the coach, and that is the dream for every Mavs fan.
The city of Dallas would love for Doncic to return one day and ride off into the sunset as a Maverick like he was meant to, but with the way the organization is constructed right now, that seems like a long shot. Harrison fired many people within the organization whom Doncic was close with, and Doncic not being fond of the head coach and the GM is not a great sign.
While winning the NBA Draft Lottery and the right to select Cooper Flagg has won some fans back, bringing back Luka Doncic would be the ultimate homecoming that every fan deeply desires. Despite the fan desire, it doesn't seem like a possibility, and Doncic not even speaking to his former coach since the trade went down tells you everything you need to know about how he feels about him and the Mavericks deep down.
If Kidd and Harrison are not with the organization one day, then maybe they can convince Doncic to return, but for the time being, it remains a huge pipe dream.
