The NBA world stood still on the night that Luka Doncic was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. It was one of the most stunning blockbuster moves that any North American sports league has had in the 21st century.
NBA players were just as confused as anyone about the tweet notification that popped up on their phones. That still remains the case several months later.
Sam Amick and Josh Robbins of The Athletic captured the reactions of these NBA players in the outlet's annual NBA player poll. Over 150 players offered their thoughts on the deal. While the reactions varied for some, there was still an incredible amount of disbelief regarding what took place just past midnight on the east coast during the night of Feb. 2.
The best responses to the Doncic deal
There were several noteworthy responses that players had in the survey done by The Athletic. Many have still not gotten over the shock of it all.
One anonymous NBA player said, "I was on the court. … A fan told me at half court. … It’s one of those moments you won’t forget. Like when Michael Jackson died (or) 9-11 happened. Those moments you just know is going to be forever ingrained.”
Many players commented on how they believed the news to be fake at first. They immediately searched for confirmation from their agents, friends, or Shams Charania himself.
“It’s like a once-in-a-blue-moon type of thing. I don’t think something like that is ever going to happen again, but it definitely got franchise players and star players on edge," another anonymous player said.
Others were able to move past the stunning element of the decision and jump right into the critiques of the move. While not every single player surveyed thought it was bad, the vast majority certainly did.
One player said, "[It was] psychotic. It didn’t make sense. I don’t know how you make it make sense."
Another player called it 'the worst decision in modern basketball history.' There were plenty of other reviews that shared that same opinion, with slightly different wording.
"I was in disbelief because if you’re trading a guy like Luka Doncic, you get the entire kitchen sink back. ... You would imagine there would be several first-round picks attached to that, and there wasn’t," another player spoke up.
Many defended Doncic against the narratives that had been pushed by the Dallas Mavericks to justify his exit. One of the anonymous survey-takers even joked that it would not matter if Luka came in weighing 500 pounds.
Of all the players surveyed, only eight responses came back that thought the trade was a 'win-win' for both sides. Seven more believed there needed to be more time before it can be properly evaluated. That is a very small portion of the 150+ who answered.
For Lakers fans, Nico Harrison's missteps will certainly be their team's gains. The overwhelming consensus of how this deal has been and will continue to be viewed was captured perfectly by one simple response to the survey conducted.
