NBA Commissioner Adam Silver appeared on The Pat McAfee Show, where he addressed the controversial trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. While Silver refrained from criticizing the Dallas Mavericks, he made it clear that the organization believes it acted in its best interest.
“That doesn’t mean I’m unaware of the turmoil in Dallas,” Silver acknowledged. Since the trade, the franchise has been engulfed in controversy, with General Manager Nico Harrison emerging as a key target of fan frustration.
“I’ve known Nico Harrison for a long time – whether or not he made the right trade, he’s a really decent person, I know he’s trying to do the best he can to run that franchise,“ Silver said.
“It’s been a rough time since they made the trade—there’s no question about it,” he added. “A combination of, Anthony Davis going down in the very first game with the Mavs, Kyrie [Irving] then with the season-ending injury… I’m proud of that team. They’re still playing hard, they still have a chance to play into the playoffs. So I get the fans’ passion. I understand why Dallas Mavericks fans are so upset. I personally am a fan of Luka Doncic —I think he’s a great young man. I want him to great, and I want the Mavs to be great. We’ll see when they play the games how this all works out.”
The blockbuster trade that never was: Chris Paul’s almost-move to the Lakers
Few trades in NBA history have sparked as much controversy as the Chris Paul-to-Lakers deal, which was vetoed by then-commissioner David Stern in December 2011.
At the time, Paul—then the 26-year-old star of the New Orleans Hornets—was set to join Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles as part of a three-team trade involving the Houston Rockets. The deal would have sent Pau Gasol to Houston and Lamar Odom to New Orleans. However, Stern, acting as the de facto owner of the Hornets, blocked the trade, arguing that retaining Paul would make the franchise more valuable ahead of its impending sale.
Why was the trade vetoed?
Stern later clarified that the NBA did not veto the trade in the way many fans believe. Instead, he rejected an offer made by then-Hornets GM Dell Demps, stating that the league—temporarily overseeing the franchise—had the right to review major transactions.
Despite speculation that pressure from other team owners played a role—fearing the Lakers would become unbeatable with Paul, Bryant, and potentially Dwight Howard—Stern maintained that his decision was purely business-driven.
The fallout and what could have been
Paul was eventually traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, where he helped build the “Lob City” era alongside Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. Meanwhile, the Lakers struggled to maintain their dominance, and Gasol remained in L.A. until 2014.
Reflecting on the failed trade, Paul himself admitted, “It was crazy. I talked to the GM, I talked to Kobe, and I went to lunch thinking the trade was done. But it wasn’t. Kobe and I were excited—we had the same mentality. If we had played together, it would have been fun. I hate that it didn’t happen.”
Even Pau Gasol later spoke about the uncertainty he faced, saying, “It was difficult. You try to shake off the feeling, but once it happens, you know it could happen again at any moment.”
