The Lakers-Mavericks trade that stunned the sports world came as quite a surprise to Luka Doncic, too.
Doncic reiterated Tuesday that he expected to spend his entire NBA career with the Mavericks, so when he learned over the weekend they were trading him to Los Angeles, he couldn’t believe it.
“Everybody was surprised, so you can imagine how surprised I was,” Doncic said during his Lakers introductory press conference. “I was almost asleep, so when I got a call, I had to check if it was April 1. I didn’t really believe it at first. It was a big shock. It was hard moments for me. It was home.”
The Slovenian-born Doncic spent his first six-and-a-half NBA seasons with Dallas, which acquired him in a draft-day trade with the Atlanta Hawks in 2018.
Still only 25, Doncic has averaged 28.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game in his career. He earned first-team All-NBA honors in each of the last five seasons. Just eight months ago, he carried the Mavericks to the NBA Finals.
But late Saturday night, flabbergasted fans learned Dallas general manager Nico Harrison had agreed to send Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to the Lakers for All-Star forward Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick in a three-team trade also involving the Jazz.
“That’s their decision, so I have no comment on that,” Doncic said of Harrison and the Dallas front office. “They made a decision. I don’t know why. But that’s their decision, so I can’t do nothing about it.”
On Sunday, Harrison pointed to the 6-10 Davis’ defensive prowess as a motivator for the deal, but he also said the Mavericks “got out in front of what could have been a tumultuous summer.”
Had he not been traded, Doncic would have been eligible this summer for a supermax contract worth $345 million over five years. Harrison said Doncic never indicated he would be unwilling to sign a supermax extension — a sentiment Doncic echoed Tuesday.
“Absolutely not,” Doncic said.
Reports suggested Mavericks brass had become frustrated with Doncic’s inconsistent conditioning, which led to weight fluctuations. Doncic has not played since Christmas due to a left calf strain, his fourth injury to that calf since 2022.
On Tuesday, Doncic said he rushed back from previous calf issues but is now taking the necessary time to heal. He is expected to return soon.
Asked about the criticism around his conditioning, Doncic replied, “I know it’s not true.”
The trade talks began last month over a coffee between Harrison and Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka. The pair has a decades-long relationship dating back to when Harrison was a Nike executive and Pelinka was the agent for Kobe Bryant, a Nike client.
On Sunday, Harrison said adding Davis, who turns 32 next month, fits within the Mavericks’ championship timeline, and that he considers “the future” to be three or four years from now.
But Pelinka is hopeful to have Doncic much longer.
“It’s a gift,” Pelinka said Tuesday. “We’re talking about a 25-year-old that is a top-three player in the universe. I can’t think of a more amazing starting point to build a roster for the next decade. I know he has the drive to win that we have here.”
The trade pairs Doncic with another all-time play-maker in LeBron James, who, at age 40, is averaging 24.0 points, 7.6 rebounds and 9.1 assists per game this season.
Doncic said James called him immediately after the trade, shortly after the Lakers beat the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night.
“We didn’t talk much, because he said, ‘I understand what you’re feeling,’ but that was really nice of him, just to call me right away and welcome me to L.A.,” Doncic said.
The trade also came as a surprise to Davis, who was in his sixth season with the Lakers and won a championship with them in 2020.
“I was in shock, obviously,” Davis said Tuesday during the Mavericks’ morning shootaround in Philadelphia. “I had no idea that it was happening, but now I’m kind of over it and I’m getting ready to play with Dallas.”
And while Doncic said the initial 48 hours after the trade were highly emotional for him, he expressed excitement to play for one of the NBA’s premier franchises.
“I thought I was going to spend my whole career there, because I think loyalty is a big word for me, and I was trying to stay by that,” Doncic said of Dallas.
“But this, for me, is a fresh start. … I’m really excited to be here. I’m getting to play for the Lakers. Not everybody can say that. Many, many legends [played] here. Many, many championships, so that’s my goal.”
