I don’t think the “conspiracy” is all that deep

The trade does not make sense as a trade between two teams, until you consider the other parties who have an interest, namely the league and the networks/streamers. I don’t think Silver came down to Dallas and told them “do this”, but I do think there have been conversations between the Adelsons and Silver about their hesitancy in regards paying the Supermax to Luka. Silver probably expressed the need for a superstar like that to end up in a major media market, even if the return from a lesser team is better. At the end of the day, this is just business: the extra picks and better return helps Dallas as a team, and strains their already tough relationship with the networks and streamers. Despite the fact that the media rights contract is already set in stone, you don’t want to go to them and say “By the way, we’re moving one of the most popular global athletes in the sport to Utah, but don’t worry we got two first round picks!”, because their relationship with the Networks is the league. The Adelsons wouldn’t even need to be pressured directly by anyone, they understand this intuitively.

On a personal level, I’m actually excited about the NBA. That first Lakers game with Luka will be appointment television, and now the league has a legitimate storyline to carry through the back half of the season. Regardless, it is brutal that Mavs fans had to make this sacrifice.