NBA commissioner Adam Silver clears air around Dallas Mavericks expansion after Luka trade

Adam Silver made his side of the things clear regarding the Dallas Mavericks and Luka Doncic drama on the Pat McAfee Show.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver clears air around Dallas Mavericks expansion after Luka trade

Luka Doncic and Adam Silver

The Dallas Mavericks’ fan base went into a major meltdown when they came across the Luka Doncic–Anthony Davis trade deal. Mostly because no one, not even Doncic, saw this trade move coming from the Mavs and the Los Angeles Lakers. As a result, and understandably so, this trade has led to the fanbase coming up with many weird theories.

The most widely accepted explanation is that trading Doncic contributed to the fan base’s disillusionment as the team’s new ownership group, Miriam Adelson and Patrick Dumont, sought to relocate the team to Las Vegas. Making that connection made at least a little sense because they are casino moguls.

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However, Dallas has a far larger television market than Las Vegas, making it one of the largest in the US. In addition, the Adelsons bought property in Irving, Texas, intending to construct a stadium and casino complex. During an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver dispelled those reports.

They’re not going anywhere. There’s no thought of them going anywhere. It’s true that the group that bought the team is out of Las Vegas, but they couldn’t be clearer, and I just want to make sure that there are no doubts… There were no ulterior motives there. This team is staying in Dallas, in fact, looking at building a new arena in Dallas.

Adam Silver said

One thing Silver made clear, apart from this ongoing topic, was that he could do ‘nothing’ to stop the Doncic trade. This was because the owners and the management were in alignment for this move to happen, unlike the Chris Paul-Lakers trade.

People frequently bring up the transaction that David Stern blocked, but Stern had the last say because the NBA owned the New Orleans Hornets at that point, and he didn’t believe the trade was best for the team. Anyway, Silver’s words bring some clarity towards the Mavs fanbase going into the 2025-26 NBA season.

Adam Silver’s interesting revelation regarding NBA ratings involving Luka Doncic

Going into the 2024-25 NBA season, the league faced major scrutiny regarding its viewership ratings, with fans opting to watch other sports. Many NBA fans also blamed the way the game is played for the poor viewership rating. However, the second half of the season did see a rise in the ratings, which came after the Luka Doncic trade deal.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver opened up on this matter lately, stating how Doncic had an impact on the increase in viewership ratings in the second half of the season.

I think you saw tremendous competition around the league…healthy stars, a trade that attracted a lot of attention. A bunch of things happened in the league, and that generated a lot of interest.

Adam Silver said

Lakers fans are ecstatic about their Slovenian player, while many Mavericks supporters are still upset about that move. On the other hand, other fan bases of the league have various reasons to watch the playoffs.

Adam Silver makes an exciting announcement ahead of NBA Playoffs

The NBA Playoffs are on the horizon, with the fans looking forward to the most exciting and important phase of the sport. Notably, Adam Silver made an interesting announcement on the Pat McAfee show regarding the playoffs. Silver said he is going to be in Indianapolis this season when the Indiana Pacers play the Milwaukee Bucks in the playoffs, as reporter Scott Agness posted on X.

As the playoffs officially begin this weekend, Silver will witness an amazing atmosphere in Indianapolis, even though the league headquarters still has a lot of work to accomplish.