NBA – 3 months later, Jason Kidd opens up about the Luka Doncic trade: “Not happy”

Par Joël Pütz | Journaliste sportif

If there’s one person whose daily life was disrupted by Luka Doncic’s transfer to the Lakers, it’s Jason Kidd. The Dallas coach also reflected on his separation from the Slovenian superstar a few months later… and it wasn’t easy.

Who would have thought that after the 2023-24 season, Luka Doncic would be wearing a jersey other than that of the Mavericks, less than a year later? As a reminder, the Mavericks reached the Finals and, while they suffered a crushing defeat against Boston, the future looked very promising thanks to the prodigy who served as their franchise player.

However, the Texans’ future took a radical turn in early February when management agreed to trade El Matador to the Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis and Max Christie. A trade that took everyone across the league by surprise, especially since it was negotiated in the most secretive way possible. Needless to say, Dallas had to start from scratch after losing its superstar.

Jason Kidd speaks about Luka Doncic’s surprise departure

This was especially the case for Jason Kidd, who had built the vast majority of his playbook around Doncic’s abilities. By acquiring a power forward/center instead, the coach had to throw everything out the window… while also having to say goodbye to No. 77. Which was easier said than done, as he revealed on The Dan Patrick Show:

I texted him that morning [after the trade] and that’s the last time I’ve talked to him. I don’t think he was too happy, and 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.

Again, my mindset is to deal with the cards I’m dealt and keep pushing forward. I’ve always said this, publicly and privately, I wish Luka the best. He’s one of the best players in the world.

Given that he had no plans to leave the franchise, it’s understandable that the former Rookie of the Year didn’t want to respond to his now ex-coach…

Because while he wasn’t the final decision-maker in Doncic’s trade, J-Kidd was definitely informed before the announcement. It’s not certain the Hall of Famer wanted to shake things up in the middle of the season, but that doesn’t matter anymore. The goal now is to get back on track, with the Mavs having missed the playoffs in 2024-25 after a complicated end to the season, unsurprisingly.