NBA superstar Luka Dončić has revealed that he was as shocked as anyone to hear that the Dallas Mavericks were trading him to the Los Angeles Lakers in one of the most stunning deals in NBA history.
“Everyone was surprised, so you can imagine how surprised I was,” he said at a press conference introducing him as a Lakers player. “I was almost asleep. So when I got a call, I had to check (whether) it was April 1, I didn’t really believe it at first.
“It was a big shock. It was hard moments for me. (Dallas) was home, so it was really hard moments for me, especially the first day.”
READ MORE: Konstas sent home, Marnus training mystery lingers
THE MOLE: Bennett toying with round one selection stunner
READ MORE: Former AFL player Troy Selwood dead aged 40
Doncic, a father of one, had just closed on a $US15 million mansion in the Dallas area a week before, and the news reportedly left him in tears, unable to shake how the team that drafted him could make such a move after making the NBA finals last year.
According to Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison approached him with the idea of a potential trade, with the two meeting for coffee in Dallas.
The subsequent talks lasted three weeks, and the only people who knew about the potential trade were the two general managers and team ownership, Pelinka said.
The Lakers and Mavericks completed the move on Monday (AEDT), with Anthony Davis moving in the opposite direction as part of a three-team trade with the Utah Jazz.
Dončić was in the midst of his seventh season in Dallas, with career averages of 28.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists. He led the Mavs to the NBA Finals in 2024. He hasn’t played since December 25, when he sustained a left calf injury. Pelinka told reporters that Dončić is day to day.
When asked how he felt toward his former team – in particular general manager Harrison – for the decision to trade him, he replied: “That’s their decision. So I have no comment on that. They made a decision.
“I don’t know why. But that’s their decision. So I can do nothing about it.”
Doncic denied he has problems with his conditioning and lifestyle, after details of the Mavericks’ concerns were aired publicly.
“It’s a motive — I know it’s not true — but it’s a motive,” Doncic said. “It’s a big motive for a long run here.”
Asked if he felt he had something to prove in Los Angeles, Doncic added: “Of course. To win the championship. You don’t come here for anything else. I have everything left to prove and the goal is to win the championship.”
There had been suggestions that the team wanted to move Dončić partly because of a potential reluctance to sign a supermax extension with Dallas.
When asked whether anyone from his inner circle had suggested that might be the case, his answer was simple: “Absolutely not.”
The 25-year-old did speak of his excitement at joining what he called “the greatest club in the world,” and revealed that he had already spoken to new teammate LeBron James.
“He called me right away,” Dončić said. “We didn’t talk much, because he said, ‘I understand what you’re feeling.’ But that was really nice of him just to call me right away and welcome me to LA.”
The five-time NBA All-Star also expressed his joy at the opportunity to line up alongside one of his heroes.
“It’s like a dream come true. I always look up to him. There’s so many things I can learn from him. I’m just excited to learn everything, and now I get to play with him, so it’s an amazing feeling,” he said.
“I think we both make our teammates better. I think our IQ is very high, so I think that’s going to help everybody.”
Also speaking at the press conference, Pelinka added that he was delighted to be able to welcome Dončić, whom he called a “top three player in the universe,” to Los Angeles.
“Luka Dončić joining forces with the Los Angeles Lakers is a seismic event in NBA history,” the GM said. “We have a 25-year-old global superstar that’s going to get on the stage of the most popular and influential basketball brand on the globe. When those two powerful forces come together, it brings basketball joy to the world, because that’s how Luka plays. He plays with joy.”
However, he did concede that it was unlikely that he would be able to add a championship-level big man to the roster to complement Dončić and James ahead of the trade deadline on Friday (AEDT).
“We know we have a need for a big. The market for bigs right now, leading into the last two or three days of the trade deadline, is very dry. There’s just not a lot available,” Pelinka said.
“So maybe we’ll be able to do some stuff around the margins. I would say, in terms of a big move for that position, it’s probably more realistic that that would be something that comes in the off-season.”