Just two days ago, it seemed like Luka Doncic was one of the few untouchable players in the NBA.
Now, he’s heading to the Los Angeles Lakers in a shocking turn of events.
Not even people around the league saw this one coming.
When asked about that, ESPN insider Brian Windhorst claimed that his phone was blowing up with coaches and players in disbelief, with some going as far as to say that the Mavs must absolutely hate Doncic (via SportsCenter).
“I had a current NBA All-Star text me and say, ‘Do you know how much the Mavericks must hate Luka?’”
–@WindhorstESPN on how the league is reacting to the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade pic.twitter.com/Z1afOJQm17
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 2, 2025
As Windhorst pointed out, even if the Mavs thought Doncic would not sign his supermax contract extension, they still had another year to negotiate a trade with him.
Per his report, they didn’t even auction him.
They contacted the Lakers in ‘stealth mode’ to inquire about a trade, meaning they didn’t even test the market or gauge offers for his services.
Simply put, that means that they didn’t want anything to do with him anymore.
Believing you’re not going to be able to win with your 25-year-old superstar who had just taken your team to the NBA Finals is odd, to say the least.
Former Mavs owner Mark Cuban once said that he would choose Doncic over his beloved wife, but the current brass clearly doesn’t feel the same way.
They acquired a player who is six years older and has faced injury problems in the past, and they just received a first-round pick for one of the consensus best players in basketball, so there must be more to this story.
NEXT: Mavericks Issue Statement About Luka Doncic Trade
