Luka Doncic broke his silence on the firing of Mavericks GM Nico Harrison, the man who shocked basketball by trading him to the Lakers earlier this year.
“The city of Dallas, the fans, the players, they’ll always have a special place in my heart,” Doncic said after Wednesday’s game against the Thunder. “I thought I was going to stay there forever, but I didn’t. So that will always be a special place for me.”
The superstar guard didn’t dwell on Harrison’s dismissal, quickly pivoting to his current situation.
“I will always call it home, but right now, I’m focused on the Lakers and trying to move on. But obviously, always there will be a part of me there.”
The blockbuster trade that sent Doncic to Los Angeles back in February rocked the NBA world. Harrison approached Lakers GM Rob Pelinka with the proposal in January, and after weeks of talks, the deal was finalized: Doncic to the Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick.
Mavs fans were furious.
They boycotted games, protested outside the American Airlines Center, and filled the arena with “Fire Nico!” chants. On Tuesday, team governor Patrick Dumont finally gave them what they wanted.
Maxi Kleber, who was included in the trade to match salaries, summed it up perfectly: “It’s a fast business, man. Players, GMs, coaches, everybody. So always got to be ready for the next move.”
Doncic’s Historic Lakers Start
Despite the drama surrounding his departure from Dallas, Doncic has been nothing short of spectacular in purple and gold.
He’s averaging a career-high 34.9 points through eight games, along with 9.1 rebounds and 8.9 assists per contest.
The 25-year-old joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history to score 40+ points in three straight games to begin a season. Before that, he shattered Jerry West’s 56-year-old Lakers record by scoring 92 points in his first two games with the team.
Not bad for someone who spent his first five seasons building a legendary resume in Dallas that included Rookie of the Year honors, five All-Star selections, five All-NBA nods, a scoring title, and Western Conference finals MVP.
Rough Night Against the Champs
Wednesday wasn’t Doncic’s finest hour, though. The Lakers fell 121-92 to the defending champion Thunder, with Doncic posting a season-low 19 points on just 35% shooting.
The Lakers were outscored by a whopping 31 points during his 33 minutes on the floor.
“Definitely wasn’t our best game,” Doncic admitted. “Probably one of the worst this season, but they did a great job. I think they all did a great job on me. They’re champions for a reason, so they showed that today.”
He took responsibility for the blowout loss, which saw the Lakers trail by 32 at halftime – the largest halftime deficit in Doncic’s eight-year career.
“I think we need to be more ready. Obviously, it starts with me. I need to be way better than that and just got to figure it out.”
The Lakers will look to bounce back when they visit the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.
