The newest Los Angeles Lakers star, Luka Doncic, had to be feeling mixed emotions Tuesday night against his old franchise and teammates. The Lakers wound up beating the Dallas Mavericks, 107-99, with Doncic contributing a triple-double. He scored 19 points, grabbed 15 boards and added 12 assists for good measure in exacting a little revenge on the organization that drafted him in 2018. However, Luka had nothing but good things to say about his bros on the court.
"Kyrie is my Hermano (brother). We got beyond basketball. It was good to see those guys. We went to wars together, and it was really fun to see them all," Doncic said.
Doncic spent the first six and a half years of his career and life in this country with many of those teammates in Dallas. He never asked for the trade and seemed just as blindsided by it as everyone else. So, nobody should be shocked at what he said following his first game against the Mavs. His first trip back to Big D to play the Mavs should be interesting but won’t happen until April 9. That should give Doncic some time to gather his thoughts before returning.
Luka Doncic remains beloved by the Dallas Mavericks
There’s no doubt about the reception Doncic will receive upon returning to Dallas. By all indications, he wanted to remain a Maverick. He just led them to the NBA Finals last season. This whole ordeal was a great example of front-office executives overthinking the situation. All these reports have come out since the trade about Nico Harrison and the Mavs not being happy with Luka’s weight or his habits off the court. None of which involved drugs or excessive partying, guns or anything else we’ve seen in the past with NBA players.
When Dallas Mavericks VP Michael Finley caught Luka Doncic drinking a beer after clinching the 2023 NBA Finals & he took it from him like a little kid 😂💀
— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) February 2, 2025
This video means a lot more 8 months later after Dallas traded Luka due to conditioning & weight concerns… 😳 pic.twitter.com/9fSJkKxtou
The bottom line here is this trade didn’t have to happen, but Luka still has love for his brothers on the court. Folks in the Mavs front office, not so much, but Doncic is now playing for a franchise that knows a little bit about winning championships. So, it’s safe to say this is going to work out far better for Luka in the long run while Harrison probably won’t be in Dallas nearly as long.