Luka Doncic’s career with the Dallas Mavericks ended on a sour note.
Last season marked the end of Luka Doncic’s time with the Dallas Mavericks as he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.
But in just a little over six seasons, Doncic has become a beloved figure in the Dallas community. So, one would assume that Luka would easily make the cut for all-time starting five for the Mavericks, right?
Surprisingly, Doncic’s former teammate, Naji Marshall, skipped past the 5x NBA All-Star’s name from his all-time starting five.
Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty ImagesNBA fans think Naji Marshall snubbed Luka Doncic to avoid getting traded
When Nico Harrison traded Doncic to the Lakers, it shocked the NBA community. But it also proved that no player on the Mavericks roster was untradeable.
Coming back to Marshall’s all-time starting five, it featured Jason Kidd, Kyrie Irving, Michael Finley, Dirk Nowitzki, and Tyson Chandler.
Marshall’s team featured every player who had played for the Mavericks at some point in their respective career. The most notable exclusion was Doncic, and NBA fans on X didn’t like that.
“Oh, he plays for Dallas. Got it,” one fan wrote. While another added: “Bro trying to make sure he never gets traded.”
“This is the ‘I don’t want to get traded’ top five,” a third fan added.
“Begging not to be traded,” a fourth fan stated.
“He just got his door closed to ever play for the Los Angeles Lakers,” a fifth fan announced.
Aside from this, a few fans went as far as questioning if the Mavericks have a clause in their current players’ contracts that requires them to never mention Doncic’s name.
Over the last few months, the Mavericks have tried every method to justify their decision to trade Doncic. That includes former majority owner Mark Cuban backing Harrison for the trade decision.
Naji Marshall was ‘hurt’ by Luka Doncic’s trade to the LA Lakers
Last season, Marshall had the best year of his NBA career, averaging 13.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game. Marshall also reached a rare milestone list that Doncic dominated.
Additionally, the 27-year-old claimed he was hurt by the Mavs’ decision to trade Doncic to the Lakers.
“But as far as just personally like I was just hurt to lose Luka, man. I mean it was a great time spent with him, it was a short time, and I mean it just hurt to see him go,” Marshall said.
Keeping that in mind, it’s certainly surprising that Marshall snubbed Doncic from his all-time starting five featuring Mavs players.