NBA fans were stunned when the Dallas Mavericks shipped superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers last week. The blockbuster deal left many wondering: Could NBA Commissioner Adam Silver have stepped in to stop it?
The short answer? He couldn’t – even if he wanted to.
The trade sent shockwaves through the league. Dallas gave up Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick. Mavs fans were furious, arguing their team got way too little for one of the NBA’s brightest young stars.
“People have been yelling at me at games that I should veto the trade,” Silver said on Barstool Sports’ Pardon My Take podcast. “But that’s not how it works.”
He’s been trying to clear up a common misunderstanding about his powers as commissioner.
The confusion stems from a famous 2011 incident when the league blocked a trade that would have sent Chris Paul to the Lakers. But there’s a crucial difference – back then, the NBA actually owned the New Orleans Hornets (now Pelicans).
“David Stern never vetoed that trade as commissioner,” Silver explained. “He made that call as the team’s acting owner.”
These days, the league office’s role in trades is pretty simple. They just check if the deals follow the rules laid out in the collective bargaining agreement.
“We don’t put a thumb on the scale,” Silver said. “We don’t weigh in on whether we think a trade is good or bad. We just make sure it follows the rules.”
That means Mavs fans will have to direct their frustration at their own front office, not the league headquarters.
The deal is done, and Doncic is officially a Laker. Whether it works out for either team remains one of the most intriguing storylines of the season.
