After dropping 45 points in a revenge game against the Dallas Mavericks, Luka Doncic is ready to leave the past behind. Speaking in the aftermath of a 15-point win over his former club, the Slovenian star revealed his desire to move on from the Mavs and the trade that reset his basketball career.
“Everybody saw me the way I reacted to the video. So many emotions. Brought tears to my eyes. All my teammates had my back,” said Doncic after the game. “I don’t know. I appreciate it. All the teammates I had. Everyone had my back. I love these fans, I love this city. But it’s time to move on.”
Emotions were running high in Dallas tonight, especially after Luka’s tribute video was played for the whole arena. Doncic was moved to tears during the tribute, and LeBron James was seen going over to comfort him during the worst of it.
The scene captured the intensity of the moment and highlighted how much has changed for Doncic since the start of the season. Even now, the star point guard is coming to terms with his new situation.
Luka was traded to the Lakers back in February as part of a blockbuster deal involving Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and Maxi Kleber. As one of the best young players in the league, nobody imagined that Doncic would be available for a trade, but the Mavericks gave up on him after weeks of backdoor negotiations with Rob Pelinka.
After initially making the deal, the Mavs received unprecedented backlash from the NBA community, and their fan base started calling for the GM’s job. To give up on a franchise player like Luka is a serious risk, and to replace him with Anthony Davis is an even bigger risk, given his extensive history of injuries.
Mavericks fans have been rioting ever since, and many of them are still bitter over the trade that sent away their franchise player. Doncic himself likely still has lingering feelings about the deal and the comments that were made about his work ethic after his departure.
In Luka’s eyes, the Mavericks betrayed his loyalty, and they turned their backs too early on what could have been a historic era of success for the franchise. Now, Doncic has to start over with the Lakers, and we saw tonight how difficult the process has been for him.
The best way forward now for Luka is to put the trade behind him and accept his new reality. He may have never meant to leave the Mavericks, but Doncic is a Laker now, and he’s committed to bringing them a championship.
With averages of 27.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.6 assists per game as a Laker, Doncic hasn’t lost a beat, and he’s got his new team in a position to make a deep playoff run in the West. If he can stay focused on the court and continue to adapt to his new surroundings, Doncic will grow as comfortable in Los Angeles as he was in Dallas.
In truth, Luka may never truly move on from leaving Dallas, but he’s done holding grudges and letting history hold him back. The star point guard is committed to the Lakers, and he’s embraced everything that has come with donning the Purple and Gold.
