Dirk Nowitzki says he is now torn about Dallas Mavericks and LA Lakers’ Luka Doncic trade

Dirk Nowitzki supports Dallas Mavericks after Luka Doncic trade

Nowitzki was stunned by the Doncic trade. The Hall-of-Famer, who won the NBA title with the Mavericks in 2011, r eacted with a single shocked emoji when the news came out.

He was in attendance for Doncic’s first Lakers game, showing public support for his former teammate. Speaking on RCD Mallorca’s YouTube channel, Nowitzki said he will continue to show support for both sides of the trade.

He said, “It was a tough, tough decision I think the club had to make. And you know, it just—it happened. I think in the NBA, there’s always stuff that surprises everybody. That’s what kind of keeps it, I guess, interesting also.

“I want to support Luka, but I’m also a Maverick for life, you know? So this was a tough decision for me. But I want to keep obviously supporting both.

“I want to wish Luka the best in L.A., and I think he’s going to have a great career there. And of course, the Mavs moved on and now got the first pick. So I think at this point, both sides are moving on and hopefully doing well after.”

The Mavericks have been gifted an opportunity for a fresh start with Flagg. Alongside Anthony Davis, who they received from LA in return for Doncic, and Kyrie Irving once he returns from injury, Flagg is in the rare position to compete immediately as the number one pick in the draft.

Cooper Flagg best opportunity to win with the Dallas Mavericks could be now

Typically, number one picks end up in a losing situation. There’s a reason that team earned the first draft pick, and it isn’t because they were title contenders.

But the Mavs made the play-in last season, and have a star duo with 19 All-Star appearances and two championships between them. Once Irving returns from his ACL injury, Flagg may never be better positioned to win an NBA title.

Prior to trading him, Dallas sold their future for Doncic. They traded first-round picks for Irving and Kristaps Porzingis, who made sense for Doncic’s timeline, but now they have an 18-year-old star and no draft picks moving forward.

That means the Mavericks will face significant challenges in building a team around Flagg in the future. This may be the most amount of talent on the Dallas roster for a very long time.

Blake Griffin said Flagg is the most complete rookie in recent memory. If that’s true, there’s little time for development for the young star. Thanks to the Mavs roster moves, this is his championship window.