Apr 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) controls the ball against Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) during the first half in game five of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Lakers’ Luka Doncic Provides New Insight Into Trade From Mavericks

Originally posted on Los Angeles Lakers on SI
By Ryan Stano | Last updated Sep 17, 2025 3:30 PM ET

The Los Angeles Lakers made perhaps the most shocking trade in NBA history by bringing in Luka Doncic a couple of weeks before last year's trade deadline. It was a trade no one saw coming.

Doncic was fully expecting to spend his entire career in Dallas, especially after leading the Mavericks to the NBA Finals during the 2023-24 season. It was shocking to see him move.

Doncic eventually was able to put his emotions behind him and play very good basketball for the Lakers. Now, he's revealing his true feelings on the trade.

More news: Lakers Wanted to Draft $59 Million Pacers Playoff Hero in 2022

Lakers Guard Luka Doncic Reveals His true Feelings on Mavericks Trading Him

While speaking in an interview with Jason Gay of The Wall Street Journal, Doncic revealed that he was unsure how he was supposed to feel after the trade.

"I didn't know how to react, how to act, what to say. It was a lot of shock. I felt Dallas was my home. I had many friends there. The fans always supported me. I didn't want to upset Dallas fans. And I didn't want to upset Laker fans."

Doncic also said that he still thinks the trade was strange and he's not sure if it's something he'll ever have closure on. At this point, he's just trying to make the best of his new home.

The Lakers signed Doncic to a three-year extension this summer, so he will be in Los Angeles for the foreseeable future. He is ready to make Los Angeles his new home.

More news: Will Lakers Regret Deandre Ayton Deal? Insider Predicts Outlook

The Lakers Will Now Have Luka Doncic as The Focal Point of Their Team

Moving forward, Doncic is the player that they will be building the franchise around. They have already started to make personnel decisions based on what he wants, too.

The Lakers are going to try to build a team that accentuates what he does well and covers up what he does not. That will be up to Rob Pelinka for the next five years or so.

After being traded to the Lakers, Doncic averaged 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game. He shot 43.8 percent from the field and 37.9 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.