Lakers’ Luka Doncic Trade Addressed by Rival All-Star With Cryptic Comment

Apr 3, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III (10) controls the ball against Los Angeles Lakers guard Gabe Vincent (7) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

After the Dallas Mavericks shocked the NBA world and traded superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers (among other pieces), many around the basketball world didn't know how to react.

Since a 26-year-old who had just taken his team to the Finals and led the league in scoring should be seen as the cornerstone of a franchise, and not a piece to flip for a 32-year-old big man with an injury history, this led fellow superstar Jimmy Butler to believe that the public doesn't know all the details to what transpired last February.

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Butler was flipped from the Miami Heat to the Golden State Warriors a few days after Doncic's blockbuster trade, but he spoke to The National about his opinions on what happened a few months after the seismic event.

“I thought it was fake like everybody else," said Butler. "So did you. I don’t even have to ask. You know what I mean? It was like this guy got hacked or something. I just thought when you used the word ‘untradeable,’ ‘untouchable,’ you’d think Luka Doncic is one of those guys, honestly.”

When asked if there were more details to the trade that the public eye didn't know, Butler guaranteed that there is more to the story.

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“There’s always more to it. Everybody else is always on the outside looking in, so you only know what you read, you only know what you read from socials. You don’t know what was really going on behind closed doors.

“And everybody’s going to latch onto whatever narrative they want to believe and whatever clickbait is put out there. But there’s always more to these stories. I don’t know, I don’t know, but I can guarantee you there is more, and there’s always a reason behind everything. Do I know the reason? No.”

Luka Doncic Trade Aftermath

Doncic is now firmly rooted in the purple and gold and seen more as the future of the franchise than future Hall of Famer LeBron James, at the moment. He has put together a few spectacular showings at EuroBasket 2025 en route to his first full season on the Lakers.

The Mavericks miraculously received the No. 1 overall pick in June's NBA Draft (with just a 1.8 percent chance to win the lottery) and selected Duke forward Cooper Flagg. The reigning National Player of the Year at just 18-years-old looks to do his part in dampening the pain Mavs faithful is likely still feeling after parting ways with Doncic.

For more news and notes on the Los Angeles Lakers, visit Los Angeles Lakers on SI.