Luka refuses to talk about the Mavericks front office, and you can't blame him

The biggest trade in NBA (maybe sports?) history continues to have compelling backstories. Luka Doncic's Los Angeles Lakers introduction wouldn't be complete without theatrics.

Reports threw Luka snowball questions to ease him into the press conference. The first question was about Luka meeting Kobe Bryant in 2019, and questions about Luka's idol and new teammate, LeBron James, shortly followed. Those light hitters got the ball rolling, but questions about the front office that gave up on the Luka Doncic experiment were near takeoff.

Who can blame Luka for not discussing Nico Harrison and Dallas Mavericks brass?

By now, we all know nobody knew about the historic Doncic-Anthony Davis trade that shook up the NBA landscape until it was finalized. Dealing a 25-year-old five-time first-team All-NBA member is unprecedented in its own right, but not having the decency to alert said superstar is a new low. General managers can run their team however they like, but historically, we've seen players as good as Luka be in the loop during the front office's decisions.

Not only was Luka blindsided by the trade, but his name was also run through the mud. Reports that his conditioning was an issue and that he weighed up to 260 pounds this year ran rampant everywhere. Luka is rightfully emotional about the situation.

When asked about his feelings towards management, specifically Nico Harrison, Luka gave a strong no comment followed by his truth. Who can blame him? He dragged the Dallas Mavericks to the Finals less than a year ago and still hasn't hit his peak. Luka thought he was a Mav lifer and would someday get a statue next to Dirk Nowitzki's.

From afar, it looks like Luka is experiencing more than one emotion. He looked sad and angry simultaneously. Most would be sad if someone you thought was there for you went behind your back like a thief in the night. From a competitor's standpoint, Luka's probably angry because this is one of the first times he's been doubted to this extreme in his NBA career. 'They don't think I'm good enough? I'll show them,' is the vibe this introductory gave off.

ESPN's Shams Charania reports that Luka hopes to make his Lakers debut soon. Three weeks from now, on Feb. 25, the Lakers and Mavericks will match up, giving Luka a chance to let off some justified steam.

This Dallas Mavericks regime, led by former Nike executive Nico Harrison, witnessed Luka drop 73 points on the Atlanta Hawks last season. He saw Luka backpack them all the way to finals while averaging 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists per game in the playoffs.

Harrison knows Luka is second in all-time playoff points per game, only trailing the great Michael Jordan. Harrison was privy to all this and had a front-row seat to the 25-year-old global sensation. He should hope Luka doesn't do something similar against them three weeks from now. But as the competitor Luka has shown to be and the heavy emotions he displayed today, I guarantee he's going for blood later this month.