Luka Dončić explains how the trade from Dallas affected him and looks ahead to playing with LeBron James in L.A.
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Luka Dončić was nearly asleep last Saturday night in Dallas when his phone buzzed. Only then did he learn that the Mavericks had just stunned the sports world by trading him to the Los Angeles Lakers.
“You can imagine how surprised I was,” Dončić said. “I had to check if it was April 1. I didn’t really believe it.”
The superstar has begun to recover after his first two days in L.A., and he’s growing increasingly excited about a new chapter with LeBron James and his famed new team on the sunny West Coast.
Lake Show Luka pic.twitter.com/Y338SMOLJk
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 4, 2025
And while his past and future teammates say Dončić has never lacked motivation to be great, he has all the fuel he’ll ever need after the Mavericks inherently questioned his talent and determination by making this seismic trade.
“It was a big shock,” Dončić said. “(Dallas) was home, so it was really hard moments for me. … (But now) I get to play in the greatest club in the world, and I’m excited for this new journey.”
The Lakers formally welcomed Dončić on Tuesday, less than three days after they traded Anthony Davis and Max Christie in a three-team deal for the Slovenian scorer who won his first scoring title last season before leading the Mavs to the NBA Finals. Dončić is a five-time All-NBA selection and a five-time All-Star.
Stars of Dončić’s age and accomplishments are almost never traded in any sport, and particularly not in such an abrupt manner. But when Dallas decided to move on from its 25-year-old centerpiece, the Lakers eagerly gave up Davis — one of basketball’s best big men — to make it happen.
Dončić is still processing the upheaval, but he already is seeing the limitless upside of a career in Los Angeles that will begin alongside the 40-year-old James, the top scorer in NBA history.
“Honestly, it was hard at first,” Dončić said. “That first day was really hard. I felt like these last 48 hours was one month. Emotionally, it was really hard, but today was much better. This is the Lakers. It’s one of the best clubs in history, so I’m excited to be here.”
General manager Rob Pelinka didn’t hide his glee at landing Dončić when they met with the media at the Lakers’ training complex. In his typically florid style of discourse, Pelinka said Dončić’s arrival would bring “basketball joy to the world.”
Lakers GM Rob Pelinka says the team’s blockbuster trade for Luka Dončić will shape the franchise for years to come.
“We have one of the game’s biggest superstars and an international player coming to join the Lakers,” Pelinka said. “I think it’s going to be something incredibly special that the NBA and basketball has never seen before.”
Although James was blindsided by the deal along with the rest of the NBA, he quickly made a call to Dončić to welcome him to the Lakers. Dončić has often described James as his idol.
“It’s just like a dream come true,” Dončić said. “I always looked up to him. There’s so many things I can learn from him, and I’m just excited to learn everything and get to play with him. It’s an amazing feeling.”
Dončić hasn’t played since Christmas because of a calf strain, but he is close to a return. He will participate in 5-on-5 work at practice Wednesday, and the Lakers will make a plan for Dončić’s debut afterward.
The Lakers have four games in the Los Angeles area in the next seven days, with a road game against the Clippers on Tuesday night followed by three straight home games.
The trade caused an uproar in the sports world, leaving most Mavs fans furious — including Dončić’s father, Sasa, who said his son “absolutely did not deserve this.”
The basketball world also was baffled by how quiet the Lakers and Mavericks kept the talks. Pelinka clearly took pride in keeping a lid on these negotiations, which began at a coffee shop with Dallas GM Nico Harrison, a longtime friend.
Some of the league’s biggest names — names who, like Dončić, would generally be considered untouchable in trades — have reacted in complete disbelief.
“Especially with (Dallas) coming off the finals, it’s a reminder that there are only a few in this league that can go to sleep with any type of confidence that you’ll still be there,” Golden State guard Stephen Curry said. “It’s kind of a very unique situation across the board.”
Added Minnesota guard Anthony Edwards: “They traded probably the best scorer in the NBA at 25. And he didn’t know about it. There’s a lot more digging somebody’s got to do to find out why he got traded. You don’t just trade him at 25. He just went to the finals. I feel bad for Luka, man.”
The Lakers also acquired Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris in the trade with Dallas. Both praised Dončić’s work ethic and leadership — and both laughed at the widespread notion the Mavs were irredeemably concerned about Dončić’s conditioning and work ethic.
“I hear the stuff about him not being in shape, but if you can go in an NBA game and get 30 and 15 and 10 like it’s nothing, then I don’t really know what shape is,” Morris said. “You’re gonna see it really soon. You’ll make the (determination) if he’s in shape or not.”
Morris returns to the Lakers after winning a championship ring with the team in the Florida “bubble” in 2020. He said the Mavs informed him he had been traded Saturday night, but not where he was going — he learned that on television and social media.
Kleber is on crutches after having surgery on his broken right foot. The German veteran — best known in L.A. for hitting a particularly spectacular 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat the Lakers in March 2023 — says he will be re-evaluated in eight weeks, hopefully allowing him to return around the postseason.
“I don’t know if a guy like Luka needs extra motivation, because I’ve seen him work, and how competitive he is over the years,” Kleber said. “I think he was that type of person already before. But if you want to add something to it, he will be competitive, for sure.”
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AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.
