“A trade that attracted a lot of attention” – Did Adam Silver just admit Luka Doncic’s trade increased NBA viewership?

While it was a shocker and upset for many fans, analysts, and several former NBA stars, Luka Doncic’s trade was arguably a blessing in disguise for the NBA amid the league’s struggle to gain more attention on television. Commissioner of the NBA, Adam Silver, has recently appeared on Pat McAfee’s show for a chat where he seemingly credited the trade for increased NBA viewership.


After the NBA All-Star game this season, the ratings for the league have increased. When Pat McAfee asked Adam Silver for his point of view on the increasing viewership, the commissioner shared that a bunch of factors helped the league to capture the attention.

"I think you saw tremendous competition around the league, teams playing for playoff seeding, teams playing to get into the playoffs, healthy stars, a trade that attracted a lot of attention. A bunch of things happened in the league that generated a lot of interest," Silver said.
Indeed, the trade was a huge attention grabber with extensive media coverage and social media discussion. The Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers while the Purple and Gold bid farewell to Anthony Davis for the exchange.
Silver also addressed the trade, "In terms of the trade itself, look, it's obvious time will tell. The only place where I feel defensive on behalf of the Dallas Mavericks and new ownership there is there were some suggestions early on that the trade wasn't done for basketball reasons."
He continued, "The only thing I can say, and I feel very confident in this, knowing Patrick Dumont... They believed that they were making the best trade on behalf of the Dallas Mavericks. Whether that turns out to be true, again, only time will tell."
While the Lakers found immediate fruition from the trade, it was not so smooth for the Mavericks. The team was condemned for the trade with the General Manager, Nico Harrison, who received death threats for the same. "I've known Nico for a long time,” Silver said. “Again, whether or not he made the right trade, he's a really decent person. I know he's trying to do the best he can to run that franchise."
"It's been a rough time since they made the trade. There's no question about it," Silver admitted. "I understand why Dallas Mavericks fans are so upset. I personally am a fan of Luka Doncic... I want him to be great. I want the Dallas Mavericks to be great... We'll see when they play the games how this works out."
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It was a huge uproar after the trade; on top of that, the Mavericks struggled with consistent defeats. However, it appears that the team has bounced back as they have secured a much-needed 129-106 win against the Sacramento Kings. The Mavericks are now one game away from earning the 8th seed in the Western Conference playoffs, or elimination.