Silver understands anger at Doncic trade, says 'time will tell' - ESPN

SAN FRANCISCO — NBA commissioner Adam Silver said he believes the Dallas Mavericks had no «ulterior motives» behind their decision to trade Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers and that the franchise's fans should have faith in the team in the wake of the shocking deal.

«I have absolutely no knowledge or belief there were any ulterior motives,» Silver said during his annual news conference before All-Star Saturday night festivities at Chase Center. «There's no doubt in my mind that the Dumont and Adelson families bought that team to keep it in Dallas. I have no doubt whatsoever that they're committed to the long-term success of that franchise.

»In terms of the Dallas fans, all I can say to them is again, time will tell whether it was a smart trade, but I think they should believe in their organization. Their organization truly made a trade that they believed was in the best interest of the organization, and in many cases, again, it doesn't mean they were right or wrong, but it's very difficult to put yourself in their shoes. They are living with the situation. They have a philosophical belief on what's necessary ultimately to win championships, and I'm not in a position to second-guess that."

Silver said he was surprised when Dallas sent Doncic to the Lakers for a package led by fellow All-NBA star Anthony Davis.

Other than the general managers of both teams — Nico Harrison in Dallas, and Rob Pelinka in Los Angeles — virtually everyone else was stunned by the deal, which came together shortly after the Lakers had one of their best performances of the season in a blowout win over the New York Knicks two weeks ago.

Silver said he likes Doncic, whom he first met while Doncic was playing for Real Madrid, and he's empathetic