If you read my last column, you might remember the headline: “Expect the Unexpected.” Today, I’d say I’ll just go with: “Expect the Unexpected 2.0.” It perfectly describes how I feel when I think about the past few days surrounding the trading deadline. Even in my wildest dreams, I couldn’t have imagined that Luka Magic would be traded away at just 25 years old.
I’m still sitting here, trying to understand why. Frankfurt Airport, 02/07, 10:45 AM – Departure. I had the great pleasure of flying to L.A. just one day after the deadline – hoping to find answers to all my questions.
After arriving in the afternoon, and once again only getting a few hours of sleep, I had to pick up my accreditation at Crypto Arena at 10:30 AM the next day.
The night before, I had already received the info, Luka wasn’t going to play, even though it had been previously expected. But I didn’t mind at all—it gave me time to settle in, especially since I’d also be attending Monday’s game against the Utah Jazz, where Luka will hopefully play. But who knows? We’ll see. As always, nothing is guaranteed.
Upon arrival, the first thing I always check is where my seats are for the game, since they change every time.
Excited, I watched two, three warm-up shootings before the first press conference started. The home team’s head coach always goes first. I have to say, he seemed a bit tense. It felt like: “Everything has already been asked a hundred times, what more is there to say?” As a result, the questions came rather slowly—unlike usual, where you have to fight to get a question in.
With Rick Carlisle, it was completely different. After all, he was the Mavs’ head coach from 2018/19, when Luka was drafted as a rookie, until the 2020/21 season.
“I don’t see any world in which it doesn’t work great. And you know, as I’ve thought about all these events over the last few days, a couple of things strike me. We’re talking about two guys who really, when they simply came into the world and started playing basketball, were expected to be guys that would have statues built for them. The level of expectation on these two guys is just something that’s hard to fathom. And as I was around Luka more and more, I became much more aware of the kind of pressure hat must be on him. He has such charisma, such ability, skill. He goes into a game and just decides how the game is going to be played. And LeBron James does the same exact thing. These two guys are surgeons, you know, the way that they dissect games. They’re really both impossible to game plan for. You have to decide how you’re willing to lose. That’s what it comes down to.And so, you know, this is, I mean, this is, you know, the Lakers, this is a larger-than-life legacy franchise, and so this is an amazing opportunity for Luka. And I think certainly LeBron and him have an affinity for each other that goes back to really Luka’s first year in the league. So, you know, the whole thing is an amazing string of events.”
I found this statement so powerful that I had to include it here. Especially considering that Rick was Luka’s first NBA coach. With these words in mind, I went straight into the locker room, which is open for 30 minutes to select media members.
My plan was to interview Maxi Kleber, but unfortunately, I had to postpone it to Monday since he wasn’t available. But Luka was in the locker room.Of course, I couldn’t interview him (players like Luka, LeBron, etc., have specific media restrictions), but just seeing him in person—after all the talk about him being out of shape — was interesting enough.
And let me say this, I’ve covered Luka through so many games, especially throughout the Playoffs and the entire Finals series – Luka is not out of shape. When you consider that foot and calf injuries are some of the hardest to recover from in terms of conditioning (since you ideally want to put as little strain as possible on the area), it’s really not easy to maintain a certain weight. After all, you’re missing out on all those movement calories you normally burn through games and training sessions.
And he looked good. I am also every time once more amazed at how big Luka actually is. Which brings me back to my questions and answers. All of this reinforced my belief that trading Luka was the dumbest thing the Mavs could have done. If they don’t win a title this year or next year, they’ve completely failed—and so far, I don’t see them winning it.
A quick bite to eat – and then it was game time. When I saw the lineup (Dorian Finney-Smith, Rui Hachimura, Jaxson Hayes, Gabe Vincent, Austin Reaves), I had mixed feelings about how the Lakers were going to handle tonight’s game—against a fully loaded Pacers squad.
LeBron was out with sore calves—from the last game, where he dropped 42 points against the Warriors. AD gone. Max Christie gone. Dalton Knecht gone. At least the Lakers had signed Guard Jordan Goodwin to a two-way contract the day before, so they had a little extra depth on the bench.
But my skepticism was about to be proven wrong. The guys were ready. JJ Redick reportedly told Austin Reaves before the game that he needed a 38-8-8 performance from him that night—he ended up with 45-7-7. Not bad at all.
I was really impressed with how good Austin’s handles are. So many tough crossovers, followed by a strong drive to the basket or a step-back three with a clean finish.Austin’s life story is an absolute feel-good story. Undrafted – straight to the Lakers – and working his way up to being a starting five guy. Just incredible. You can’t imagine how excited I was to witness his career-high game live. Stories like these truly inspire me in my own life. The same goes for Gabe Vincent and Dorian Finney-Smith – also undrafted, and suddenly, they find themselves starting for the Lakers.
So what does this tell us. Never stop fighting for your dreams!
Some quick news before I wrap up: It looks like I’ll be doing another live segment on JumpRan on ProSieben MAXX during All-Star Saturday (02/15). If it’s confirmed, you’ll get more details here.
So the big question remains: Will Luka play on Monday against the Jazz, or will we see him after the All-Star Weekend?
I’ll keep you updated in my next column with all the latest from L.A.
Until then, you’re Flight Girl.
