The Dallas Mavericks ran a “smear campaign behind the scenes” to justify trading Luka Doncic to the Lakers, per @sam_amick "The Los Angeles Lakers star has been a lightning rod for criticism from that crowd for nearly a decade now, from the time the Slovenian sensation entered the league as a fiery and absurdly talented rookie in those early Dallas Mavericks days. But the actual basketball people — even the ones who were most critical about his defensive struggles, the contentious relationship with the refs and his (previous) physique — always acknowledged his undeniable greatness (except for the Mavericks when they worked so hard to justify the February 2025 trade with a smear campaign behind the scenes)." (h/t @TheNBABase / nytimes.com/athletic/7713473…)