Mavericks CEO Rick Welts really went there.
During an invite-only media roundtable Tuesday, Welts and Mavericks GM Nico Harrison stood by their decision to trade franchise player Luka Doncic to the Lakers for Anthony Davis before the February deadline.
That was not surprising — but the example Welts used as his defense raised eyebrows somehow even higher.
Welts, 71, made waves when he likened the Doncic-Davis blockbuster to previous deals he helped orchestrate during his 47 years as an NBA exec in roles with the Warriors, Suns and Seattle — including when Golden State traded Monta Ellis for Andrew Bogut in 2012.
“The Golden State Warriors once traded Monta Ellis for Andrew Bogut. Monta Ellis was beloved… Bogut wasn’t going to play that year, Bogut’s not really a marketable player… It got better because they had a guard named Steph Curry, and Steph Curry came in and made the entire fanbase love him,” said Welts, who the President and COO of the Warriors during their five consecutive NBA Finals appearances from 2015-19.
Many saw it as a lazy and lopsided comparison, as Doncic led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals last year.
“Clowns everywhere you look in Dallas front office,” one person said on X.
“This has turned into a sick joke, I am telling you they are doing this on purpose just to piss us all off and move to Vegas!!!!” another added.
Ellis and Doncic aren’t nearly in the same stratosphere regarding their accomplishments on the court.
Doncic, who was at the center of NBA MVP conversations across multiple seasons, is a five-time All-Star and made the All-NBA first team five times.
The former third overall pick was the NBA scoring champion last year and he was the EuroLeague champion and MVP with Real Madrid in 2018.
Ellis, a second-round draft pick by the Warriors in 2005, was named the NBA Most Improved Player in 2007.
Davis and Bogut are both bigs, but their level of play is drastically different in comparison.
During Tuesday’s press conference, Welts also noted that the SuperSonics traded Lenny Wilkens to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Butch Beard, and that Wilkens later returned to Seattle and coached the team to its only championship in 1979.
Welts, who had most recently worked for Phoenix, also recalled the Suns trading Stephon Marbury to the Knicks for cap space in 2004, before they acquired Steve Nash that summer.
It was the first time Welts and Harrison addressed the media together since Welts was hired by the Mavericks in January.
Harrison reiterated his stance that defense wins championships and said he has no regrets about the Doncic trade, which the Slovenian star and Davis both said they were blindsided by.