For the foreseeable future, the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks will be linked together as a result of the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade. And by extension, Nico Harrison and Rob Pelinka, the respective general managers of the Mavericks and Lakers, will be linked as well.
Since the trade earlier this month, Harrison has received incredible criticism from fans and media members alike, who were bewildered at the idea of trading a perennial MVP candidate like Doncic so early in his career. Pelinka, on the other hand, has been credited with pulling off the trade without giving up nearly as much as one would think.
While the pair of executive’s reputations changed rapidly in the aftermath of the trade, they met back up last night when the Mavericks and Golden State Warriors played in San Francisco. Of course, it makes sense for Harrison to be present for the game, but some fans were confused by Pelinka being at the Chase Center.
The reason Pelinka attended the game was because the Warriors were retiring the jersey of Andre Iguodala, who Pelinka served as his agent before he joined the Lakers’ front office.
“The Andre Iguodala jersey retirement has brought out various NBA faces from across the league. Included a brief Rob Pelinka (Iguodala’s former agent) and Nico Harrison greeting on the Chase Center floor,” The Athletic’s Anthony Slater wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
The Andre Iguodala jersey retirement has brought out various NBA faces from across the league. Included a brief Rob Pelinka (Iguodala’s former agent) and Nico Harrison greeting on the Chase Center floor. pic.twitter.com/zNMVcFI7sZ
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 23, 2025
Pelinka and Harrison may meet again very soon; the Lakers and Mavericks play in Los Angeles tomorrow night for the first time since Doncic was traded. The game, because of the surprising nature of the trade and the subsequent leaks of Harrison’s thinking in regards to Doncic, is about as highly anticipated a regular-season game can be.
Doncic, who was out with a calf injury at the time, said he was blindsided by the trade. He also intimated that he wanted to re-sign with the Mavericks, who reportedly did not want to offer him the five-year, $345 million contract extension he would have been eligible for this summer.
Now, the teams, somewhat like the Mavericks and Atlanta Hawks following the Luka Doncic-Trae Young draft trade, will be compared to each other at every step of the way. So far, it has been a mixed bag for both teams. Despite the Mavericks having won six in a row before last night’s loss, the team is still dealing with fan outrage and numerous ailments throughout the roster. And the Lakers, who beat the Denver Nuggets 123-100 on Saturday, lost to the lowly Utah Jazz and Charlotte Hornets over the past few weeks while Doncic works his way back into shape after an extended injury.
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