The dark side of the Doncic-Lakers deal

Luka Dončić’s arrival in Los Angeles has shaken the foundations of the NBA. Already considered one of the most significant trades in league history, the move has reinvigorated the Lakers’ core, restoring the team’s status as a championship contender and ushering in a new era in California. Dončić came to his new home to revitalize the NBA—and he’s done just that.

More than just a basketball star, Dončić has become a cultural phenomenon, transcending the sport itself. His growing stature as the face of both the present and future of the NBA opens the door to a narrative of global dominance: Hollywood, business, marketing, league influence, and his name’s weight in the modern media and commercial ecosystem of the world’s premier basketball league. As things stand, he could be poised to become the next face of the NBA.

In an episode of Xtra, the AS basketball show, Antoni Daimiel, Gerard Solé, Pepe Rodríguez, and Juanma Rubio explored the key dynamics of this seismic shift:

“Doncic would have revitalised any of the other teams in the NBA and helped them to compete for the championship”, said Rodríguez, adding that “everyone needs a Doncic.”

‘There is no logic to Doncic leaving, I’m convinced it’s not for sporting reasons’

Gerard Solé admitted that “the NBA has been at its best with a good market”, emphasising that “Luka isn’t just a spark for the Lakers, he’s a bomb, he’ll increase the following of the side immensely. This is just the tip of the iceberg."

They asked the question of the ‘Doncic brand’ questioning whether or not he is set to take over as the face of the sport after LeBron retires. “The NBA lives off faces, moments and Luka is not liked by very few people in the US”, remarked Solé. “The only thing perhaps holding him back is that he’s not American, and I think the NBA will still be on the lookout for that star.”

On the move from the Dallas Mavericks, which caused a media and fan storm across the world, “Dallas signed the worst deal in history, I can’t think of anything worse for any franchise", said Rodríguez, adding that “these things simply don’t happen in professional sport.”

The fall of the Dallas Mavericks has been shocking, and the journalists were asked about potential ulterior motives to Doncic’s move: “Money rules in the sport; the motives of the franchises are all economic”, Solé admitted, “and if an owner wants to move a franchise to somewhere for whatever reason, they’ll do it.”

“There is no logic to it at all”, said Rodríguez, perhaps hinting at something deeper than mere sporting reasons. “As humans, we have to find out why they did it, I’m convinced it’s not for sporting reasons. I don’t think it is this, but Las Vegas and Seattle both want to be expansion teams... The Mavs aren’t going to move, I don’t think, but an owner could have economic interests in other things."

“Dallas are in free-fall, they have no public support and people are rebelling against them. It was always a well-run franchise and now it’s been ripped up from its roots, taken from the people and it will take a lot to heal the wounds”, lamented Juanma Rubio. “They want to move to the outskirts of Dallas and have plenty of projects lined up there that will make them a lot of money, the Mavs are just a pawn in their game. Moving to Las Vegas would take a lot but this wouldn’t have happened without the new ownership.

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