Luka Doncic was not in the best of spirits after the Dallas Mavericks stunningly traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers in February. Despite still reeling a bit from the shock, Doncic managed to joke about Lakers GM Rob Pelinka’s attire for his introductory press conference.
“I asked him where his motorcycle was,” Doncic told The Wall Street Journal.
Pelinka had worn a groovy leather jacket to the press conference, much to Doncic’s amusement. The Slovenian and his new head coach, JJ Redick, were both dressed rather simply, unlike the executive.
Doncic also joked about Redick during that press conference while Pelinka expressed his excitement at building a team around the guard. He certainly has looked into surrounding the five-time All-Star with the ideal pieces.
Pelinka traded for Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets days after Doncic’s arrival. A rim-running center like Williams is what the guard loves, but they wouldn’t get to play together.
The Lakers later rescinded the Williams trade, reportedly due to health concerns, and Doncic had to make do with having only Jaxson Hayes as a viable option at that center spot for the rest of the season. So, a new center was the top priority entering this offseason.
The Lakers did address that need by signing Deandre Ayton to a two-year, $16 million deal. Doncic looked to have given his seal of approval for the signing, as he had reached out to Ayton and assisted in closing the deal. He had done the same for Marcus Smart as well.
So, Doncic’s fingerprints appear to be on this Lakers roster to an extent, and it’ll be interesting to see how well the pieces fit alongside him. As for the man himself, he looks primed to have an incredible season.
Doncic is in the best shape he has been in for years and dazzled at EuroBasket 2025. The 26-year-old averaged 34.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 2.7 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game, and earned a spot on the tournament’s All-Star Five.
Doncic’s body transformation and anger at the Mavericks for trading him have led to an NBA scout backing him to win MVP in the 2025-26 season. If he stays healthy, he’ll definitely be in the race.
It was, of course, just a year ago that Doncic finished third in MVP voting. He went on to lead the Mavericks to the NBA Finals as well in 2024, and all of this made their decision to trade him for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick seem even more ridiculous.
Doncic was not expecting it either and struggled to come to terms with the trade at first. Jeanie Buss revealed she had never seen someone be this sad when they came to the Lakers, which tells you how bad things were.
Time heals all wounds, of course, and Doncic has now moved on from the Mavericks. He is focused on winning championships with the Lakers, and you wouldn’t bet against him leading them to glory at some point.
