Dirk Nowitzki, the greatest player in Dallas Mavericks history, recently opened up about the shocking Luka Doncic trade while appearing on The 41 Game Changer podcast (translated by HoopsHype). Like everyone else in the basketball world, Dirk was completely caught off guard when the news broke that Doncic had been traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.
“I was shocked too. That’s a good word for it. We were on a family trip, had been in Europe for a long time, even in winter, then traveled through Asia a bit. At the end of the trip, we were in the Maldives, just relaxing at the beach.”
“It was literally the last day, and I was in my room, about to pack my things. Then suddenly, my phone exploded with calls and messages from all over the world. I immediately went on Twitter, read the news, and at first, I was just shocked—like everyone else.”
“I don’t think anyone saw it coming that the Mavs would ever trade Luka. So for me, it was totally unexpected, completely out of nowhere. I was so stunned that I just put everything aside.”
“We were supposed to go for a quick lunch with the family before flying out, but instead, I sat in my room for an hour, scrolling through X, trying to figure out if it was real. Some people were saying that the entire trade was fake, that Shams’ account had been hacked.”
“It took a few minutes before it was finally verified. Then I just followed the reactions—every player was posting something about it. The entire league, the entire basketball world was in shock.”
Dirk admitted that Doncic himself was blindsided by the trade, not expecting to be moved at all.
“Then, there were reports coming out. Of course, I immediately texted Luka. At first, he didn’t reply—understandable, he was probably a bit overwhelmed. In English, you’d say he had a lot going on. A day later, he finally responded. I think he was pretty emotional. He didn’t see it coming at all.”
“And then I thought, it would be nice if I supported him at his first game. He hadn’t played for a while—he was injured himself. So, I flew to L.A. I just wanted to show him that our friendship still stands.”
“We played together for a year—my last year—and I always tried to help him, be a mentor to him these past few years. I wanted to show him that I’m here for him, even though he’s somewhere else now. That we have a friendship, that I’m still there for him and his family. His father was there, as well as some of his closest circle.”
One of the biggest financial consequences of the trade was that Doncic lost his ability to sign a Supermax contract. Had he stayed in Dallas, he could have earned over $100 million more than his current deal. However, Dirk insists that Luka isn’t motivated solely by money.
“He could have signed a Supermax deal with the Mavs. You can only sign that type of contract with the team you’ve been with for multiple years. But after this trade, he lost that opportunity.”
“He can’t sign the Supermax anymore, which means this trade could have cost him over $100 million. But at the end of the day, Luka isn’t someone who plays just for money. I don’t think this trade hit him hard in that way. As for whether he’ll stay with the Lakers—I think so.”
Even with the financial hit, Nowitzki believes Doncic will stay in Los Angeles long-term, as the Lakers provide him with a championship-level roster and a huge market.
Nowitzki also addressed the role of Mark Cuban in the shocking move. Many assumed Cuban had some involvement, but Dirk believes the former Mavs owner had no power over the decision.
“I don’t think he has much influence anymore. He sold the majority of the Mavericks over a year ago—more than 50%. Now he’s just a minority owner. I think he still owns a little under 30%, but I doubt he has any real decision-making power anymore. Right after the trade, he said that he had no idea it was happening. And I believe him.”
“We all should. He was always Luka’s number-one fan. He even made a statement once that he would never trade Luka. So it would really surprise me if he had suddenly changed his mind. That’s why I truly believe he had no say in this decision.”
“I think Nico (Harrison) and the new owner pulled this off without involving him at all—or anyone else, for that matter. Of course, that’s tough for Mark.”
“But when you sell the majority of your team, you have to expect that you won’t have control anymore. That’s just how it works. And over the past year, you could already see the team heading in a different direction. Now we’re seeing the result of that.”
According to Nowitzki, it was Mavericks GM Nico Harrison and new owner Patrick Dumont who orchestrated the deal without Cuban’s knowledge. This revelation adds another layer of frustration for Mavs fans, as Cuban had previously vowed never to trade Doncic.
Dirk admitted that seeing Luka wearing Lakers colors for the first time felt completely surreal. The moment hit him hard, making the reality of the trade truly sink in.
“It was such a strange situation. I was standing in that empty stadium, and then he ran onto the court—in yellow. It was just an unbelievably bizarre moment for me. And of course, it’s going to take weeks and months before it starts to feel a little more normal.”
“It’s a tough situation, but in my tweet, I made it clear—I will always be a Mavs fan. But this trade really hurt. And it will take a while before everyone processes it and moves on.”
While Nowitzki remains a lifelong Mavericks fan, he understands that basketball is a business. But even so, this trade hurt—and it will take time for both him and the Mavericks community to fully move on.
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