Luka Dončić‘s father was hurt and appalled by the Dallas Mavericks‘ decision to trade his son to the Los Angeles Lakers after leading them to the NBA Finals last season.
Saša Dončić, Luka’s father, unloaded on the Mavericks in an interview with Arena Sport Slovenija on Sunday, Feb. 2.
“I understand there comes a moment when you disagree with a certain philosophy,” Saša said. “You don’t like this or that player, all good, I get it. But I think that exactly this secrecy, or should I say from some individuals, maybe even hypocrisy, this hurts me personally.”
In the most shocking trade in NBA history, the Mavericks shipped Luka, a five-time All-Star and All-NBA player, without warning to the Lakers for 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick.
Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison told The Dallas Morning News that Luka didn’t return his call after the trade.
“My guess is he probably doesn’t want to talk to me,” Harrison said.
The Dončićs felt betrayed.
“Because I think that Luka absolutely doesn’t deserve this,” Saša said. “Given the fact that at least, as I know, he sacrificed himself enormously and even all the stories now that someone is releasing that he wants to apologize for the things that they’re doing. I feel like this is very unfair from some individuals because I know that Luka respected Dallas a lot. He respected the whole city, helped children.”
Luka’s Father Pushes Back on ‘He’s Not Fit’ Narrative
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported in the aftermath of the trade that one factor that contributed to the Mavericks’ decision to trade the 25-year-old superstar was his poor conditioning which led to several injuries in his tenure in Dallas.
Luka has only played 22 games this season for the Mavericks after suffering a calf injury on Christmas. MacMahon said Luka was pushing to 270 pounds, which is not his ideal playing weight.
“The [Mavericks] had major concerns about moving forward with Luka Dončić due to his constant conditioning issues and the looming commitment of another supermax contract extension this summer, sources told ESPN,” MacMahon wrote on X.
But Luka’s father slammed the weight issue.
“It wasn’t even a problem last year since, I am saying again, one individual said he’s not fit enough,” Sasa said. “That he played, I don’t know, 100 games, practically 40 minutes with two or three players constantly on him. That he was beaten and you say such things about him. I feel that this is very unfair from certain individuals. You traded him, stand by your actions but don’t look for excuses or alibis, that’s it.”
Luka’s dad about the trade 🐍 #nba #lukadoncic #lukadoncictrade pic.twitter.com/muWUDKaxlT
— Arena Sport Slovenija (@ArenaSport_SI) February 2, 2025
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LeBron James’ Heir Apparent
Luka arrived in Los Angeles on Sunday night and was welcomed by Lakers vice president and general manager Rob Pelinka, who thought Harrison was joking when he offered the trade.
Pelinka happily obliged and did not pass up on the golden opportunity to acquire arguably the second-best player in the world behind Nikola Jokić.
“Luka is a one-of-a-kind, young global superstar who will lead this franchise for years to come,” Pelinka said in a statement. “His killer instincts and commitment to winning championships will be a driving force for the team. We will be relentless in building a roster around the on-court vision Coach Redick has for this basketball team and there is an unwavering commitment to that work to serve our loyal and dedicated fans. We are grateful for today and look forward to what’s next.”
The shocking trade is a godsend to Pelinka, who was under pressure to upgrade Lakers roster when LeBron James and Davis made public comments about its limitations.
Davis specifically asked for a center so he could go back to his natural position as power forward. He got his wish, but in Dallas.
Meanwhile, James gets to play with Luka, who he fondly calls as “Luka Magic,” in his final years in what the Lakers hope to be a passing of the throne succession.
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