“It Was a Lot of Shock, I Felt Dallas Was My Home:” Luka Dončić Speaks About Dallas Mavericks Trading Him to Los Angeles Lakers
During an interview with the Wall Street Journal, NBA superstar Luka Dončić spoke about the Dallas Mavericks trading him to the Los Angeles Lakers last season.
The blockbuster trade came out of nowhere.
“I didn’t know how to react, how to act, what to say,” Dončić 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.”
The Mavericks traded Dončić because general manager Nico Harrison had problems with the five-time All-NBA forward’s weight, diet, work ethic and conditioning.
Dallas acquired Anthony Davis and Max Christie from Los Angeles.
Mavericks fans despise Harrison for trading Dončić, who wanted to spend his entire NBA career with Dallas. Now, Dončić is expected to retire with the Lakers.
A future Hall of Famer, Dončić has lost 30 pounds since last summer, a league source told DallasHoopsJournal. The five-time All-Star was listed at 230 pounds with the Mavericks and Lakers last season. He’s at 200 pounds right now.
One of the top basketball players in the world, Dončić appeared in 28 games with the Lakers last season after the Mavericks shockingly traded him in February. The talented point-forward averaged 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.4 blocks with the purple and gold.
Dončić enters next season third in NBA history in points per game. He has career averages of 28.2 points with the Mavericks and Lakers.
“I liken his skills to that of an illusionist,” Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said. “You almost have to be at the game to understand the magnitude of what Luka can do on the court…. There are always many ‘Did that just happen?’ moments.”
The Lakers are title contenders with Dončić and NBA legend LeBron James leading the way.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks have a talented core of Davis, Kyrie Irving, Cooper Flagg and Klay Thompson.
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