Luka Doncic, like many Mavericks fans, unsure if he'll get closure from Lakers trade

Luka Doncic may not ever get over being traded.

Apr 9, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) looks on as the Dallas Mavericks play a tribute video for Doncic before the game against the Lakers at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Early in February 2025, Luka Doncic was traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers. And that's a day that no Mavericks fan, Lakers fan, or even just NBA fan in general will soon forget. Doncic is no different.

It is clear that Doncic never wanted to leave Dallas. When asked in his Lakers introductory press conference if he ever gave any indication that he wouldn't have re-signed with the Mavs, he adamantly shook his head. He had just closed on a new home in Dallas when the trade happened. He has openly said he never wanted to leave Dallas. Doncic was crying on the bench in the American Airlines Center as they played his tribute video.

That is a man who never wanted to leave Dallas. And, just like many Mavs fans, he's not sure if he'll ever get over it.

︀︀“I think it will always be strange. I don’t know if someday I will have closure or not. For sure, it will always be weird,” Doncic said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.

Aug 2, 2025; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers Luka Doncic (77) is interviewed Spectrum SportsNet following a press conference announcing the signing of his contract extension at UCLA Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

If Doncic isn't sure he'll get closure, you can best believe that fans won't get it either. Mavericks fans saw him as the second Dirk Nowitzki, especially after being able to spend his rookie season with Nowitzki's last. That's a special passing of the torch, and he was ripped out of Dallas without asking and without warning.

The Mavericks have since seemingly tried to erase him from franchise history, removing any mention of him throughout the AAC, refusing to post highlights that may feature him in it, and even tried to get an Overwatch billboard removed with his face on it because it was too close to the arena.

READ MORE: Ex-NBA Champion is a believer in Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg

Luka Doncic Out For Revenge This Season

Doncic says he lost about 35 pounds this offseason, something the Mavericks were critical of after he was traded. And now that he has a new three-year deal with the Lakers, he looks primed to make an MVP run.

His new physique was on display at the FIBA EuroBasket tournament, where he looked like his typical dominant self, but he was also nominated for the Defensive Player of the Tournament. If that carries over to the NBA season, he will be the most dangerous player to watch.

READ MORE: Mavericks take massive fall in future NBA power rankings, and it's no surprise

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