What the Biggest Trade in NBA History Can Teach Us About Leadership

The?Saturday before the NBA trade deadline, I was out to dinner with my husband and some friends when I received a missed call and a text from my 14-year-old son. Immediately, my heart sank, thinking there was a problem at home. Had the house burned down? Did his brother fall and break a bone? Did the dog take himself on a walk around the neighborhood??

He was frantically trying to get ahold of us to share that Luka Don?i?, a superstar player on the Dallas Mavericks, had been traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis. He was walking around the house with his hands on his head in total disbelief—as were NBA fans all around the country.?

If you don’t follow basketball, this may not feel like a big deal, so let me fill you in. This trade has been touted as the biggest and most stunning in NBA history.?

To be fully transparent, as a Suns fan and someone who generally gets annoyed by professional athletes who flop, whine, and argue, I do not root for Don?i?. I quickly grabbed my popcorn to watch my Dallas-based family members dry their tears. Despite this, I can resonate with the shock. Don?i? is quite possibly the most gifted young player in NBA history and was the face of the Dallas Mavericks franchise.?

So why was he traded—and what can this teach us about leadership??

There are a variety of theories circulating, from a looming five-year, $345 million supermax contract to comments from the Mavericks’ GM claiming that defense wins championships and Luka’s defense was subpar. But let’s be honest, none of these reasons feel valid enough to trade the most coveted basketball player not named Victor Wembanyama.?

When you read between the lines, Luka Don?i? is a culture killer. He has terrible body language during games and on the bench. He can be found complaining and fighting with referees, flopping and feigning injury to draw a foul, and lacking discipline off the court. Simply put, he is not a leader.?

Mavericks General Manager Nico Harrison explained the trade by saying that he and Jason Kidd (Mavericks’ head coach) have a vision for the culture they are trying to create. He shared that although he wouldn’t “talk bad about any players,” he is confident that “the players we are bringing in exemplify that culture.” In other words—Luka didn’t fit their culture.?

This article isn’t about basketball; it’s about the importance of strong leadership and culture. In the social benefit sector—the industry to which I have committed most of my professional life—turnover is higher than in any other sector, with a rate just over 21%. Although there may be many reasons for this statistic, to me, it boils down to culture, and continuing to employ someone who is a bad fit is a massive culture killer.?

In Jim Collins’ widely popular book Good to Great, he popularized the idea of getting the right people in the right seats. In a perfect world, we would find top performers who also fit our company’s culture. Yet, we continue to see top performers who destroy culture hang around a bit too long.?

As leaders, when one of our employees isn’t meeting expectations, our job is to manage up or manage out. This is easier said than done. A top performer may be bringing in significant revenue or completing tasks faster than anyone else, putting a leader in the difficult position of sacrificing successful business outcomes for team cohesion.?

This mindset is short-sighted. Retaining an employee who is a poor fit decreases morale and sends the message that culture matters—unless you produce enough results. A study conducted by Harvard Business School with over 60,000 employees found that when a team member doesn’t fit the culture, nearly 50% of employees report reduced work effort, 38% intentionally decrease the quality of their work, and 80% lose work time worrying about the offender.?

When explained this way, the effects of a bad apple cascade much further than just one person with a bad attitude. So what do you do if you find yourself in this situation? In the words of one of my leadership icons, Brené Brown: “Clear is kind.” People need to know where they stand.?

Start by assessing your team. For your high performers who are also a strong culture fit, run—don’t walk—to their office (or inbox, or Teams chat link) and thank them. They are your unicorns; be sure they know how sparkly they are.?

If you have any low performers who are also a poor cultural fit, it’s time to find a way to say goodbye—they will be happier somewhere else.?

Low to mid-level performers who are a great cultural fit can likely be coached up. Offer them professional development opportunities, block time on your calendar to mentor them, and make sure they understand their role and how they can improve performance.?

Now, this is where it can get tricky—your high performer who is not a culture fit, your Luka Don?i?. Come prepared to have a conversation thanking them for their work but outlining specific examples of times they didn’t align with your culture and the residual effects this has had. Some people may be surprised to hear your assessment of their personality and immediately work to improve. Others may get defensive. Either way, this person needs to be placed on a 90-day performance plan, reassessed regularly, and then a hard decision will need to be made.?

Regardless of the outcome, I implore you to be brave. The Mavericks organization took a bold risk in seeking trade deals for Don?i?. They have risked being hated by the entire Dallas population, but they did it to protect their organizational culture—and good for them.?

Maybe I’ll consider rooting for the Mavericks now—just kidding. Go Suns!?

?