A new conspiracy is doing the rounds on social media that the Dallas Mavericks traded superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers to either get approval for a casino resort in Texas or move to Las Vegas. The main piece they got in return for the 25-year-old was an aging Anthony Davis who suffered a groin injury in his first game.
A lawyer named Christopher Kratovili, a lifelong Mavericks fan, posted his opinion to Facebook, and it’s been getting a lot of attention online:
The team’s majority owner is Miriam Adelson, who also controls Las Vegas Sands. This casino company has long been trying to develop a commercial casino in Texas at the Mav’s home arena.
Kratovili claims that Adelson buying the $3.5bn stake from Mark Cuban was a business decision, as the Lone Star State is a massively untapped gambling market. He believes that Adelson has no proper interest in basketball, and the deal is a means to an end.
threatening to move the Mavericks from Dallas to Las Vegas could be the leverage they’re looking for
The company’s efforts to spend millions on lobbying and gain legislative approval over the years have been unsuccessful. According to Kratovili, threatening to move the Mavericks from Dallas to Las Vegas could be the leverage they’re looking for to force the hand of state lawmakers.
The lawyer remarked that the NBA wouldn’t let a successful franchise move to Las Vegas, so the Adelsons might follow a strategy similar to the Oakland A’s. The MLB franchise eventually secured a move to Sin City after years of not investing in an aging stadium and keeping player payroll near the bottom of the league for years.