The Luka Dončić-Anthony Davis trade shocked the sports world Saturday night. And a big part of that was that unlike many NBA moves, there were few to no indications that Dončić’s time in Dallas was coming to a close. That drew particular attention from veteran NBA scribe Kelly Dwyer, who argued Sunday that Mavericks’ GM Nico Harrison failed to maximize his return by not testing the market for Dončić more widely.

There have been plenty of criticisms of this trade for Dallas, and of Harrison’s publicly-stated rationale of improving the team’s defense. There have also been criticisms of the reports citing team sources that the Mavericks had concerns about Dončić’s “constant conditioning issues,” including Ryen Russillo of The Ringer saying he’d sign Dončić to a supermax extension even if Dončić was smoking on the court. But the take from Dwyer, who has been writing about the NBA since 1999 for outlets including Sports Illustrated, ESPN, and Yahoo Sports, and has been running his The Second Arrangement subscription newsletter since 2017, stands out for spotlighting the particular problem with the secrecy involved.

Dwyer’s piece on this (which is behind a paywall, but available to non-subscribers with a seven-day free trial) is worth reading in full for his nuanced breakdown of what this trade means for the Lakers and Mavericks, both now and in the future. And he writes that adding Davis could lead to some benefits for Dallas. But his comments on Harrison not looking more widely for offers for Dončić are especially notable. Here are some of those:

The mid-20s are no time to relieve oneself of any NBA player, let alone a surefire, first-ballot Hall of Famer. We are in the middle of the 2020s, and this was a terrible time for Dallas to trade Luka Dončić.

The Lakers have three first-round pick swaps to deal before Thursday’s trade deadline, the Mavs earned none of those options. The Lakers still have a 2031 first-round pick to trade, Dallas doesn’t own that, Dallas didn’t even bother to switch the older Klay Thompson for Austin Reaves. Dallas did not pick up Dalton Knecht to learn under Klay. The Lakers still have heaps to deal ahead of the playoff run and Dallas does not. And Dallas has the older player.

…The Mavericks sold high on Luka Dončić without working the market, fireable offense. Dallas did not put the effort in to create as much equity as it could from the sort of talent that turns into statues, career-ending move. From his executive’s perch, with his ostensible business brain, Nico Harrison’s white-collar approach still drew up irredeemable business. One first-round pick, in four years, and from the Lakers.

…Luka Dončić just had a boss that thought he was smarter at basketball than great basketball players are great at basketball. No person will ever be that smart.

And there’s a good point there. It’s much more typical to see trades come after weeks, if not months, of reporting on a potential move. And while that may be less exciting, it means that the market is fully tested. In a case like this, especially with Dončić reportedly never asking for a trade, it seems like many teams weren’t even aware that he was available. If they had been, maybe they would have offered a better package than what Los Angeles did (in all, the Mavericks got Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick from the Lakers, and sent a 2025 second-round pick to the Utah Jazz). So while this secret move was certainly splashy, it might not have been ideal for the Mavericks.