Jason Kidd said he learned about the Luka Doncic trade in a Cleveland hotel an hour before the news broke.
DALLAS — The legend behind the Luka Doncic trade grows.
Ever since the shocking late-night tweet from Shams Charania, more and more perspectives of what happened that night on Feb. 1 come to light. Now, we’re hearing about how Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd found out the franchise player had been moved to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Speaking with The Dan Patrick Show, Kidd opened up about how he found out about the trade. Kidd told Patrick he was notified in their Cleveland hotel about an hour before the news broke the night before the Mavericks were playing the Cavaliers.
“When [Nico Harrison] told me, I went back to my room and started figuring out how we were going to use AD and [Max] Christie because of this change,” Kidd said.
Patrick interjected Kidd’s answer and asked if he got a chance to argue against the trade.
“No, there is no arguing. This is what was going to take place,” Kidd replied. “For me, it’s to move forward. From past experiences – as a player, I’ve been traded the day after Christmas, I think, from Dallas to Phoenix, thinking they were trading Jimmy [Jim Jackson] or Jamal [Mashburn] and they told me that they were trading me – so just understanding that the train keeps moving. I thought that my players and my coaching staff did an incredible job with, once they heard the news, preparing to keep moving forward.”
Patrick asked Kidd when was the last time he had spoken to Luka, to which Kidd said he texted Doncic the morning of Feb. 2.
“I don’t think he was too happy,” Kidd said when asked how Doncic responded to the Feb. 2 text. “Again, from the experience of being traded, maybe being surprised. Upset. Feelings are high. Again, I loved the opportunity of coaching Luka. He’s an incredible person, and we all know his talent.”
Watch the full interview on The Dan Patrick Show here: