Mavs Superfan Patrick Mahomes Says 'It Took Me a While' to Process Luka Doncic Trade

The guy was just as torn up as we thought.
In the immediate aftermath of the trade, Mahomes posted online: "I'm sick rn...."
In the immediate aftermath of the trade, Mahomes posted online: "I'm sick rn...." / Sam Hodde/Getty Images
In this story:

Much like the rest of us, even Patrick Mahomes needed a little bit of time to process the magnitude of the blockbuster Luka Doncic trade.

The Chiefs quarterback and Mavericks superfan recently opened up about his grieving process in the aftermath of the completely unexpected deadline swap, which sent the Dallas franchise cornerstone to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis.

"It took me a while [to process everything]," the Super Bowl champion told For the Win's Cory Woodroof in an interview published Thursday. "I was actually at home when the Doncic trade happened, in bed, like I'm sure a lot of people were, and I remember rolling over and waking my wife up to tell her, like she cared as much as I did. She basically put on a good face for me, but she rolled over, went back to sleep, and it kept me up for a couple hours."

His reaction, however, was warranted.

"It's more than just a basketball player, man. I've known Luka since he was 18 years old in Dallas, and I was down there, like 22 years old," the QB continued. "So, [I'm] happy for him that he got to get to the Lakers, a great organization, and I'm sure the sky is the limit for them there."

And now, at least the Mavs won the draft lottery to select generational talent Cooper Flagg, so things are improving after a rough stretch.

"[It's] exciting for me to win the draft lottery, a roller coaster of emotions, and getting Cooper Flagg now, it's going to be an amazing team," Mahomes said. "Get everybody back healthy, and we'll have as good a chance as anybody at making a run at the title this next year."

We're sure no one is more eager for that to happen than the much-maligned team GM Nico Harrison, who insisted the months of disarray were simply part of "the vision." Not sure we buy that, but it is true that things are looking up; after months of suffering, Mavs fans (including Mahomes) can breathe once again.


More on Sports Illustrated

feed


Published
Brigid Kennedy
BRIGID KENNEDY

Brigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sporting news and culture at TheWeek.com before moving to Livingetc, an interior design magazine. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, dual majoring in television, radio and film (from the Newhouse School of Public Communications) and marketing managment (from the Whitman School of Management). Offline, she enjoys going to the movies, reading and watching the Steelers.