NBA trade news: 2 reasons why Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to Lakers revealed

The Dallas Mavericks made a stunning move by trading superstar Luka Doncic to their Western Conference rivals, the LA Lakers, on Sunday. The blockbuster three-team deal sent Doncic to Los Angeles, while Anthony Davis joined forces with Kyrie Irving in Dallas.

As news of the trade broke, the basketball world was left in disbelief, questioning why the Mavericks would part ways with their franchise player.

According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, Dallas’ decision was driven by two key factors: concerns over Doncic’s fitness and the complexities surrounding his upcoming contract situation.

"The Mavs had major concerns about moving forward with Luka Doncic due to his constant conditioning issues and the looming commitment of another supermax contract extension this summer," MacMahon tweeted.

In addition to trading Doncic, the Mavericks also parted ways with Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris. In return, Dallas acquired Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick from the Lakers.

Mavericks GM explains reasoning behind trading Luka Doncic

Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison spoke about the decision to trade Luka Doncic to the Lakers. The Mavericks GM affirmed that Doncic's contract situation played a huge role in the franchise's decision to part ways with the superstar point guard.

"We really feel like we got ahead of what was going to be a tumultuous summer, him being eligible for the supermax and also a year away from him being able to opt out of any contract,” Harrison told the Dallas Morning News on Sunday.

Before being traded, Doncic was eligible for a supermax extension in the upcoming offseason, which would have been worth $345 million over five years. Had he signed it, the deal would have been the largest contract in NBA history.