The trade between the LA Lakers and Dallas Mavericks sent shockwaves through the league. And nobody was more surprised than the players themselves.
Luka Doncic was caught off guard by the Dallas Mavericks‘ decision, while one of the players sent in the opposite direction, Max Christie admitted being literally floored by the move, that briefly left him ‘in denial’.
One of the two players sent to the Lakers as part of the move was Markieff Morris. And he was not expecting it either.
Morris had settled in Dallas and had just bought a house, admitting the timing was ‘rough’, not expecting to be sent away, confused that a team might want him at this late stage of his career.
Now his brother Marcus Morris, a former NBA star, has given his insight on the deal.
Marcus Morris and Markieff Morris were on the phone discussing potential trades for other players ahead of the deadline, when the latter was received a text from the Mavericks.
Marcus told Yahoo Sports there was a stunned silence, and he asked, like almost everybody else in the world, “How is Luca Doncic traded? Like, does that even make sense?”.
Markieff Morris has already explained how he would have retired if he was traded to any other team other than the LA Lakers, at this late stage of his career.
He had previously been on the title winning team in 2020, and president Jeanie Buss apologized to Morris on his return, for not keeping that team together.
“When he said the Lakers, I said, you’re going to the Lakers, right? He said, ‘Hell yeah’.
“I’m thinking to myself, you might just have won another championship. Like, literally, you really might just have won a championship.
He explained how the tight relationship between veteran Markieff Morris, Maxi Kleber and Luka Doncic was part of the hidden brilliance of the trade, enabling the superstar to settle quicker.
“And the part about it that I think a lot of people don’t see is that ‘Kieff and Luka has a really good relationship, like a really good relationship.
“So I think that they probably noticed that, and they wanted Luka to feel better, to go into a new place where you have somebody that’s been a teammate. Also during Finney-Smith, who has been a teammate of him. And then Maxi Kleber.
I think the dynamic of that really helped.”
He added that his final advice to Markieff was all positive: “Once I sat in back I thought about, it I was like, it actually might help your career. Now, it might give you a proper fresh start.
The decision to trade away Luka Doncic was widely panned, and has worked out terribly for the Dallas Mavericks so far, with new arrival Anthony Davis instantly injured.
Even as a former NBA star, with inside connections, Marcus Morris says he has no idea why the Mavericks made the decision they did.
“The entire time, I just couldn’t put my finger on why… I really don’t.
“And I still, you know, this is no disrespect to any of the players like Anthony Davis a really good player, really good career, I don’t think that match they can match, up to what Luka has done like this far in his career.
Right after being traded, Markieff Morris spoke up for Luka Doncic, his commitment and conditioning, and backed the NBA world to see just how good he is, and the superstar is proving all the doubts were misfounded.
