The NBA world has been in shock, ever since the news first broke that Luka Doncic was being sent to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, who is now headed to the Dallas Mavericks.
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That is, following the bombshell trade, Luka has released a message to Mavs fans, which insinuates he was also blindsided by the blockbuster move.
Luka Doncic released a statement following his trade from the Mavs to the Lakers 💙
"I thought I'd spend my career here and I wanted so badly to bring you a championship."
(via @luka7doncic) pic.twitter.com/ltYS3kudHf
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 2, 2025
"Seven years ago, I came here as a teenager to pursue my dream of playing basketball at the highest level. I thought I'd spend my career here and I wanted so badly to bring you a championship," Luka wrote in a letter titled, Dear Dallas. "The love and support you all have given me is more than I could have ever dreamed of. For a young kid from Slovenia coming to the U.S. for the first time, you made North Texas feel like home."
That is, Luka's father also expressed heartbreak over the trade that caught everyone off guard.
In a released statement he wrote, "With this trade, hypocrisy from the Mavs hurts me personally. I think Luka absolutely did not deserve this. I know he sacrificed a lot. I know Luke really respected Dallas."
Luka Doncic’s father sounds off:
“With this trade, hypocrisy from the Mavs hurts me personally. I think Luka absolutely did not deserve this. I know he sacrificed a lot. I know Luka really respected Dallas.” pic.twitter.com/sWAoi7MCSM
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) February 2, 2025
Luka Dončić kept it simple after his shocking trade to the Lakers. In the Mavs’ group chat, he sent a farewell message: “Thanks for everything.” Teammate Naji Marshall admitted he was stunned: “I was surprised like everyone else. Very good dude. Good teammate. I look forward to… pic.twitter.com/X6VeCJmlm3
— SpursRΞPORTΞR (@SpursReporter) February 2, 2025
According to reports, the reason why the Mavs front office was wanting to offer Luka in trade talks is because there was growing concern over his "conditioning issues" (per Tim MacMahon) and they "no longer viewed Luka as their franchise building block moving forward" (per Brian Windhorst).
This undoubtedly surprised everyone as Luka had just got done leading the Mavs to the NBA Finals last season.
Imagine watching Luka Doncic do this in the Playoffs, lead the Mavs to the NBA Finals, and then you decide to trade him halfway through the next season. pic.twitter.com/DlYkT5Quvz
— Mark Jackson’s Burner (@casualtakeking) February 2, 2025
Furthermore, the team felt that AD could help them win more games now, as adding his defensive prowess in the frontcourt can make any team a contender.
“I believe that defense wins championships,” Mavs GM Nico Harrison told ESPN regarding his motivation to trade Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis. “I believe that getting an All-Defensive center and an All-NBA player with a defensive mindset gives us a better chance. We’re built to… https://t.co/iPfQvA4str
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) February 2, 2025
In view of what could've been, Luka was set to sign a supermax contract extension with the Mavs this summer, worth up to $345 million. However, now with the Lakers he can only sign for a max $226 million.
Luka Doncic if he signed The Supermax with the Dallas Mavericks :
5 years, $345 million dollars
Luka doncic Max contract with the Lakers:
5 years $226 Million Dollars
Luka lost $119 million over night . Bro
— Albano 🇦🇱 (@_oFAB) February 2, 2025
Mavs GM Nico Harrison says that he left a text message and voicemail for Luka, but has not received a response back at the moment.
"My guess is he [Luka] doesn't want to talk to me," Harrison said.
Mavs GM Nico Harrison said he left Luka Doncic a text message and voicemail but Luka hasn’t replied:
“My guess is he probably doesn’t want to talk to me.” 😳
(via @townbrad) pic.twitter.com/2WZzMDQPeI
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) February 2, 2025
Although LeBron James, 40, is losing his 10x All-Star sidekick Anthony Davis, 31, it appears that he looks forward to playing with his new co-star Luka Doncic, 25, who presumably is set to be the new face of the Lakers for possibly over the next decade.
Luka says he’s ready to win championships with the Lakers 👀
(h/t @BleacherReport) pic.twitter.com/uiYQJZVq9d
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) February 2, 2025
NBA superstars to most recently leave their original teams before age-26:
LeBron James = 2010 free agency
Kyrie Irving = forces trade at 24-years-old
Anthony Davis = forces trade at 25-years-old
Donovan Mitchell = traded at 25-years-old
Luka Doncic = traded at 25-years-old pic.twitter.com/Hj748C8rNd
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) February 2, 2025
