Luka Doncic says he still hasn’t spoken to Dallas Mavericks president of basketball operations and general manager Nico Harrison since being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.
But Doncic has heard what Harrison has said in justifying his reasoning for the deal, and it has disappointed the 26-year-old superstar after spending the first 6½ seasons of his career in Dallas.
“It’s just sad the way he’s talking right now,” Doncic said of Harrison during a sit-down interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews that aired Friday. “I never say anything bad about him, and I just want to move on. The fans, my ex-teammates, I’ll always keep at heart. It’s time for me to move on from there.”
Earlier this week, Harrison and new Mavs CEO Rick Welts invited a select group of Dallas-based reporters for an hourlong media session to revisit the trade that sent Doncic to L.A. as part of a three-team trade that landed Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a future first-round pick for Dallas.
Harrison said he had “no regrets” about the deal and repeatedly said the motivation for the trade was believing that “defense wins championships,” insinuating Doncic struggled on that end of the court.
Shortly after the trade, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported the Mavs had “constant conditioning concerns” about Doncic, according to sources, and that his “lack of discipline regarding his diet” had contributed to his injury issues.
Doncic told ESPN he was aware of the criticism but has kept his focus forward.
“I mean it’s painful, depending on how you take it,” Doncic said. “It mostly came from Dallas, so I didn’t want to talk back. But I don’t really read that much stuff. I’m just trying to focus on my journey.”
During the interview, Doncic showed Andrews his cellphone, which is still damaged from him throwing it across the room when he first heard of the trade.
“I was actually in the bed,” Doncic said. “My TV wasn’t working so I was on my iPad watching a movie about to go to sleep. First thing I said, probably three times, was, ‘Is this [an] April 1st [joke]?'”
And his initial feelings?
“Sadness, mostly,” Doncic said. “I was still in shock. Like, crazy shock. I felt like my heart was broken, honestly.”
With more than two months passed since joining the Lakers, Doncic admitted he is “getting used to it.”
When asked if he intended to play his entire career with the Mavs, Doncic told ESPN, “Of course. That’s an easy question.”
But now that he is in L.A., on the eve of the Lakers opening their first-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN), he said he is finding a new home with the team.
Doncic, who is owed $46 million next season and has a player option worth $48.9 million for 2026-27, will be eligible to sign a long-term contract extension with the Lakers this summer. As of Aug. 2, L.A. can offer Doncic up to a four-year, $229 million contract, according to ESPN NBA front office insider Bobby Marks.
When asked by ESPN if staying in L.A. is what Doncic wants to do, his answer was succinct and direct.
“Yes,” Doncic said.
