SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has a message to those Dallas Mavericks fans who are still angry, two weeks later: He feels your pain.
That said, he's also sure that the Mavericks believe that their decision to trade Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis was — in their minds, at least — the best possible move for the franchise.
Silver, in his annual address at All-Star weekend on Saturday, said he had no advance word that the trade was looming and that he was surprised like everyone else. He also said he wasn't going to second-guess Dallas' decision.
“I can say one thing for sure: Whether or not history will ultimately judge this as a smart trade, they did what they thought was in the best interest of their organization," Silver said. "I have absolutely no knowledge or belief there were any ulterior motives, no doubt in my mind that the Dumont-Adelson families bought that team to keep it in Dallas. I have no doubt whatsoever that they’re committed to the long-term success of that franchise.”
The Doncic-for-Davis trade sent shock waves across the NBA. It was the first midseason trade where All-NBA players were swapped for one another, and the angry fallout from fans in Dallas over trading a 25-year-old superstar and global icon hasn't exactly subsided.
“I'm empathetic,” Silver said. “I understand it.”
San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama also understands how some Mavericks fans feel, even though he plays for the in-state rival Spurs.
“What really strikes me is how the Mavs’ fans are hurting, how they feel,” Wembanyama said Saturday. “It’s really something that I think was a really strong emotion. But otherwise, I think the Mavs are still contenders. The Lakers are contenders. It’s very competitive. They traded for very good players. ... But two weeks after, it’s still the craziest trade I’ve ever seen.”
Further adding to the disappointment or frustration for some Dallas fans is the fact that Davis got hurt in his debut game with the Mavericks, one of many big-man injuries the team is currently grappling with.
“Time will tell whether it was a smart trade,” Silver said. “But they should believe in their organization.”
In other topics covered by Silver on Saturday:
All-Star Saturday last year was highlighted by the 3-point contest between Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu.
Everyone left that night indicating that it would come back in 2025. But it didn't happen — and Silver said the reason is simply that it might have been too good to do twice.
“Last year was so magical, that competition, that it started to feel forced. And I think there was concern from all of us that we just weren’t feeling it," Silver said.
A few days after an arbitration panel ruled that ownership transfer of the Minnesota Timberwolves to Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez — who would get the majority stake for $1.5 billion — must continue as originally planned, Silver said the league is waiting to see what happens next.
“My expectation is that will move forward. But first, Glen Taylor does have a decision to make as to whether to appeal that arbitration decision," Silver said. "I mean, that’s Glen’s decision to make. I haven’t talked to him directly about that. I think, though, that A-Rod, certainly Marc Lore, are well-known to the league at this point. They’ve already been vetted and approved as minority owners. I think they understood that the league had no role in this arbitration. That was something they had agreed to as part of their purchase agreement.”
Silver said he sees no reason why the sale wouldn't be approved, but stopped short of speaking for the Board of Governors and the decision they would have to make to get the sale across the finish line.
A week after a trade between Charlotte and the Lakers fell through because of the results of Hornets center Mark Williams' physical, Silver said the Hornets have not filed a formal appeal with the league.
The Lakers rescinded the trade.
“Let’s see what Charlotte decides to do here," Silver said. "But I think either way, it’s gotten our attention. We understand that in the back and forth of teams and trades that the extent we can reduce uncertainty, that’s a positive thing.”
The NBA hasn't hidden from the fact that their television ratings aren't where the league wants them to be, but Silver sees progress.
“I’ll begin with the state of our ratings right now as they’re conventionally measured," Silver said. "They’re slightly down from last season. We had some weakness early in the season. We rebounded. The ratings are heading up right now. So, I see that as very positive.”
The NBA also doesn't solely look at ratings. The league's footprint on social media is growing and is at “record popularity,” Silver said, and he said that the TV numbers don't show the interest from podcasts and other forms of new media.
“Now, how do you blend all those things together? I think that's the really tough question,” Silver said.
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NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks during a press conference at the NBA basketball All-Star Saturday night festivities Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks during a press conference at the NBA basketball All-Star Saturday night festivities Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — A crack in a damaged chemical tank in Southern California has eliminated the risk of a catastrophic explosion but it's still not safe enough for the remaining 16,000 residents living closest to the aerospace plant to go home, officials said Tuesday.
Crews were spraying water to keep cooling the tank that overheated last week, prompting the evacuation of 50,000 people in the Orange County city of Garden Grove. Most returned home after a crack formed over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, relieving pressure inside.
The evacuation zone remained the same on Tuesday morning, said Orange County Fire Capt. Brian Yau.
Crews worked overnight to ensure two other nearby tanks were neutralized and would not be affected by the compromised tank, he said, adding that material from one of these two tanks was transferred to another that has a neutralizing agent.
“They are moving material over to ensure that all threats have been eliminated,” Yau said.
Those threats include the risk of a very small explosion and potential spill, officials said.
Exposure to methyl methacrylate — a highly flammable chemical used to make plastics — can cause serious respiratory problems, neurological problems and irritation to the skin, eyes and throat, according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency. The tank at the GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems plant contains 6,000 to 7,000 gallons (22,700 to 26,500 liters) of the chemical.
The interior cooled to 93 degrees F (33.9 degrees C), the county's fire division chief Craig Covey said Monday, down from 100 degrees (37.7 degrees C) a day earlier. The company said its technical specialists and the county fire authority have removed insulation from the tank to help cool it.
Health officials sought to reassure people who are returning to homes near the plant.
“There was no contamination. There were no fumes,” Orange County Health Director Regina Chinsio-Kwong said at Monday's news conference. “There was not a leak. So it should be, you should feel comfortable going home even if you’re across the street from that new zone line.”
The South Coast Air Quality Management District will monitor the air for several months and the EPA will be checking sewer and storm drains for spills, Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen said.
Garden Grove Unified School District said last week it was shutting a dozen schools through what was supposed to be the last day of the school year on Wednesday but later said only three would remain closed Tuesday. It was unclear if they would reopen before the school year ends this week.
At a parking lot at a large park in Fountain Valley, just southwest of Garden Grove, people sought refuge in an ad hoc shelter there or pitched tents outside. Other people gathered in the park to enjoy Memorial Day.
Kim Yen, a retiree who was still evacuated from her home two blocks from the plant, welcomed news that the worst was not expected.
“I am happy and many of us are happy,” she said Monday.
She said she's ready to go back but wants to be sure it’s safe first. She's also been worrying about the emergency workers, who she called “our heroes.”
As the tank heated up, the chemical converted from liquid to gas, ramping up the pressure and explosion risk, said Andrew Whelton, a Purdue University engineering professor who has studied environmental contamination. Some of the methyl methacrylate may already have hardened into a stable plastic similar to plexiglass, reducing the danger, he said.
The tank could eventually cool enough for crews to safely stabilize and drain the remaining material without triggering a spark or ignition, Whelton said.
However, he said there is still a risk of an explosion while the chemical remains hot and reactive. Temperatures need to fall closer to 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit (15.6 to 21.1 degrees C) before conditions are considered significantly safer, he said.
GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems makes cockpit windows, canopies and windshields for military and commercial aircraft. It employs about 16,000 people across 32 manufacturing sites in 12 countries, according to the company website.
“We apologize for the ongoing disruption this incident is causing and our priority remains its safe resolution, so that residents can return to their homes as quickly as possible,” the company said.
GKN Aerospace agreed in 2025 to pay state regulators more than $900,000 to settle violations involving recordkeeping, permitting issues and nitrogen oxide emissions, according to a report on the South Coast Air Quality Management District website.
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This story has been corrected to attribute a quote to TJ McGovern, interim fire chief of the Orange County Fire Authority, not to division chief Craig Covey.
Willingham reported from Boston. Contributing were Associated Press journalists Jamie Stengle in Dallas; Ethan Swope in Garden Grove, California; and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles.
Two evacuees sit in their pickup truck at a gas station within the evacuation zone in Stanton, Calif., Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
An aerial view shows a police checkpoint enforcing a road closure at the evacuation zone boundary in Anaheim, Calif., Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Jan De Jonge and fiancé Sher Stuckman set up a tent with their belonging and pet outside the Elks Lodge in Garden Grove, Calif., on Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
An evacuation map is displayed at the incident command post at the Los Alamitos Race Course in Cypress, Calif., on Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Water is sprayed on a damaged tank at GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove, Calif., on Sunday, May 24, 2026, after the tank containing a chemical used to make plastic parts overheated Thursday. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
People walk outside Freedom Hall, an evacuation center in Fountain Valley, Calif., on Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
An American Red Cross volunteer walks outside Freedom Hall, an evacuation center in Fountain Valley, Calif.,on Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
People tend to their pets outside Freedom Hall, an evacuation center in Fountain Valley, Calif., on Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
