4
Feb
Code Sports Exclusive
Montrezl Harrell: An NBA player's 'job is never safe'
Montrezl Harrell #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts to a foul call during the second half of a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Staples Center on March 26, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. Photo: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
Former Laker Montrezl Harrell reacts to the Luka Doncic / Anthony Davis trade
- Former NBA veteran Montrezl Harrell thought Doncic would be a one-team player
- Lakers acquire Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis in blockbuster trade
- Harrell said an NBA player's "job is never safe"
Adelaide 36ers star and former NBA Sixth Man of the Year Montrezl Harrell — like the rest of the basketball world — was "surprised" by the bombshell trade that sent Dallas Mavericks superstar to the Los Angeles Lakers for All-NBA First Teamer Anthony Davis on Sunday, February 2, 2025.
Harrell, who played for the Lakers in 2020-21 told Code Sports Basketball: “I was just surprised that the Mavs made the choice to move him.
"I definitely thought he was going to be one of those people that was going to have the career of a Dirk Nowitzki or Kobe Bryant, being in a place that he never left and was able to end out his career there.
"Especially with the Mavs’ (part) owner, Mark Cuban, the way he always had high praise and talked about him."
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The 31-year-old, who has played for the Houston Rockets, LA Clippers, Lakers, Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets and Philadelphia 76ers — says it put every NBA player on notice.
"It goes to show that nobody’s job is fully secure, you’ve got blockbuster trades going on with guys like that so that’s just definitely let everybody else in the NBA know that your job is never safe,” Harrell said while at a Reebok campaign shoot in Melbourne.
"You’ve got to come in and do the work, do the job that’s asked of you and if you’re not doing that at a high enough level for them, you can be moved."
It is the first time in NBA history two reigning All-NBA First Team Members have been traded for each other.
The Trade Breakdown
On a seemingly ordinary Sunday morning (AEST), the basketball world was turned upside down when news broke of a three-team trade involving the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, and Utah Jazz. The specifics of the deal are as follows:
Los Angeles Lakers receive:
- G Luka Doncic
- F Maxi Kleber
- F Markieff Morris
Dallas Mavericks receive:
- C Anthony Davis
- G Max Christie
- 2029 first-round pick
Utah Jazz receive:
- G Jalen Hood-Schifino
- 2025 second-round pick (via LA Clippers)
- 2025 second-round pick (via Dallas)
Perhaps most impressively, the Lakers have managed to acquire Doncic without completely mortgaging their future. Unlike the Anthony Davis trade, which saw them part with multiple young players and draft picks, this deal leaves them with significant assets to continue building around their new superstar. The 2031 first-round pick, along with several pick swaps and young talent like Dalton Knecht, provides the Lakers with flexibility to make further moves in the coming years.
