Luka Doncic was supposed to be the future of the Dallas Mavericks. But after six and a half seasons with the team, he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis. The organization cited the need for defense as the reason for shipping him out.
Like all heartbreaks, it took Doncic a lot of time to process the trade. Although he has moved on, the Slovenian said there will always be a pit in his chest whenever he sets foot on the American Airlines Center, and he does not know when that feeling will go away.
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“I think it will always be strange,” he said in an exclusive story by the Washington Post. “I don’t know if someday I will have closure or not. For sure, it will always be weird.”
Luka was shocked
The whole NBA world was stunned on Feb. 22, the day Doncic’s name was involved in a three-team trade that included Dallas, Los Angeles and the Utah Jazz. It was one of those Sham Charania bombs that no one could have ever prepared for.
NBA players had their mouths agape, as they, too, would never, in a million years, have seen the trade coming. But Doncic, undoubtedly, experienced the biggest shock.
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Months have passed since the trade, but Doncic admitted he still feels the same shock and confusion he first felt when he heard about it.
“I didn’t know how to react, how to act, what to say,” he said. “It was a lot of shock. I felt Dallas was my home. I had many friends there. The fans always supported me. I didn’t want to upset Dallas fans. And I didn’t want to upset Laker fans.”
Doncic thought he would be a Maverick for life
The Mavericks built their roster around Doncic, even pairing him with dynamo point guard Kyrie Irving in the backcourt. The city of Dallas loved Doncic, and he loved it back, so much so that he wanted to spend his entire career with the team that drafted him.
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“Of course. That’s an easy question,” he answered in an interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews when asked about whether he planned to stay loyal to Dallas.
Doncic was supposed to continue Dirk Nowitzki’s legacy, but Nico Harrison and his front office had other plans. He was supposed to be untouchable like many of his fellow superstars, but apparently, he was not, setting a dangerous precedent for other teams’ best players and sending a message that no one is safe.
He was supposed to be a Maverick for life, but instead, he was removed from his home in the dead of night. As expected, fans were outraged.
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Doncic made this clear in his farewell message to Dallas, where he reflected on how far he had gone from being a star in Slovenia to making a historic impact on the NBA and the city.
“As I start the next part of my basketball journey, I am leaving a city that will always feel like a home away from home,” he wrote. “Dallas is a special place, and Mavs fans are special fans.”
Doncic’s journey with the Lakers continues. Only he knows what heights he could bring the team to and whether or not he wants to finish his career in Los Angeles. Whatever it may be, the 26-year-old will surely be showing his magic to the L.A. fans from now on and hopefully turn things around for the historic franchise once more.
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This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 17, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.