Since the trade of Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis on February 2, the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers have had very different seasons. The Mavericks are already out of contention, largely due to injuries, after reaching last year’s Finals against the champion Boston Celtics.
The Lakers are coming off a Game 1 loss in the first round of the playoffs to the Minnesota Timberwolves, a team that Luka Doncic will be looking to eliminate for the second year in a row after eliminating them in the Western Conference Finals last year while wearing the Dallas uniform.
While the Lakers are still capable of great things, the Mavericks held their press conference today to end a season that will be remembered by their fans as one of the worst in franchise history, not for the results, but for losing a figure of Doncic’s magnitude.
Mavericks’ Season Ends After Doncic Trade
Of course, General Manager Nico Harrison had to be at the press conference, and of course he had to be asked about the decision to trade Doncic. Harrison surprised everyone in the room with his response to the trade, saying, “I knew Luka was important to the fan base. I just didn’t know to what level.” Who did he think was the most important and appealing player on the team? The one who filled the arena and created excitement among the youngest fans? Undoubtedly a terrible answer that won’t help Dallas fans like him any more.
Luka averaged an impressive 28.6 points, 8.3 assists and 8.7 rebounds during his tenure with the Mavericks, as well as a historic stat line as the only player ever to reach 10,000 points, 3,000 rebounds, 3,000 assists, five First-Team All-NBA selections and five playoff series victories in his first six seasons.