Luka Dončić returned to Dallas Wednesday for the first time since the blockbuster trade that sent him to the Los Angeles Lakers, and it hit him hard.
Dončić was shockingly traded in February, and Anthony Davis was one of the players the Mavericks acquired.
Ever since then, Mavs general manager Nico Harrison has been public enemy No. 1 in Dallas. Fans have not forgiven him for trading a global superstar in the prime of his career.
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That continued Wednesday with numerous “Fire Nico” signs as Dončić and the Lakers arrived in Dallas.
The arena was filled with white shirts that said “Thank you for everything” in his native Slovenian.
Just before the game, the franchise honored him with a video tribute, and Dončić became emotional.
Harrison said he made the trade to improve the team’s defense fresh off an NBA Finals appearance. In Davis’ Mavericks debut, he was injured (he has since returned), and Kyrie Irving later tore an ACL.
Since joining the Lakers, Dončić has put up his usual numbers, averaging 27.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.6 assists, and the Lakers are a serious contender.
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Aside from the defense though, Dončić would have been in a contract battle with the Mavs. His $207 million extension expires this year, and he was due for a supermax DEAL worth over $340 million. Plus, he could have opted out of any other deals with Dallas. So, Harrison wanted security.
“We really feel like we got ahead of what was going to be a tumultuous summer, him being eligible for the supermax and also a year away from him being able to opt out of any contract,” Harrison said shortly after the deal was done. “And so we really felt like we got out in front of that. We know teams, they’ve had it out there, teams have been loading up to try to sign him once that comes available.”
Entering Wednesday, the Lakers were 48-31, third in the Western Conference. It would be their best finish since winning the NBA title in 2020.
There are, however, four teams just one game behind them in the standings, which could drop them down to seventh and put them in the play-in tournament.
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