EL SEGUNDO — The shocking nature of the Lakers’ blockbuster trade over the weekend that led to them acquiring five-time All-Star guard Luka Doncic as part of a three-team deal that sent 10-time All-Star big man Anthony Davis has been well documented.
But to hear it from one of the players involved in the trade, the machinations of the deal moved so quickly, and so late as Saturday night turned into Sunday morning on the East Coast, that the players involved in the deal didn’t have much time to digest what was going on.
“No, they didn’t tell me – they just told me I’ve been traded,” Markieff Morris responded when asked if the Dallas Mavericks told him before the news broke that he was being traded to the Lakers, along with Doncic and Maxi Kleber as part of a three-deal between the Lakers, Mavericks and Utah Jazz.
Morris added: “I put the TV on, just like everybody else. It was the same reaction everybody had. Is this real? Actually my agent sent me a text and it was from [ESPN’s] Shams [Charania] on Twitter because obviously I was in the whirlwind.”
It was, indeed, real, with the whirlwind arriving in Southern California on late Sunday night and inside the team’s practice facility on Tuesday morning.
Because Doncic arrived for his introductory press conference, sporting a light gray sweater over a white dress shirt with dark gray slacks and white low-top Jordans, sitting alongside Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka as not just the newest Laker, but the player the organization hopes can be the face of the franchise for the next decade.
“Luka Doncic joining forces with the Los Angeles Lakers is a seismic event in NBA history,” Pelinka said. “The reason I say that is because we have a 25-year-old global superstar that’s going to get on the stage with the most popular and influential basketball brand on the globe. When those two powerful forces come together, it brings basketball joy to the world, because that’s how Luka plays.”
The understated Doncic’s joy was more muted compared to Pelinka, who was behind one of the most surprising trades in NBA history.
Doncic, who wrote in a social media post to the city of Dallas that he expected to spend his career with the Mavericks, acknowledged the complex emotions he’s felt over the last couple of days.
“Honestly, it was hard at first,” Doncic said. “That first day was really hard. I felt like this last 48 hours was one month, like two days ago was one month ago. So emotionally, it was really hard.
“But every day there [after] like [Tuesday] was much better. I’m just very happy to be here for this opportunity. This is the Lakers. It’s one of the best clubs in history. So I’m excited to be here.”
The excitement to have the opportunity to play alongside Lakers star LeBron James – a player Doncic has referred to his “idol” – was palpable.
“It’s just like a dream come true,” Doncic said. “I always [looked] up to him.There’s so many things I could learn from him. And I’m just excited, just to learn everything and now I get to play with him. It’s an amazing feeling.”
Doncic added: “We both make our teammates better. Our IQ is very high. That’s going to help everybody. Obviously I really haven’t [thought] about basketball much these days. But I’m just excited to work with him.”
Pelinka addressed the rare opportunity the Lakers had with acquiring Doncic, who is considered a generational talent, making five consecutive All-NBA first teams after winning the 2018-19 Rookie of the Year.
“I try to take everything in stride,” Pelinka said. “It’s interesting, if all of us watch Luka play, he has a combination of basketball joy and killer instinct, which is really rare. That was number eight, number 24 [referring to Kobe Bryant]. And I think learning lessons from that mentality are stay in the moment.
“So I don’t think of it in terms of shock, surprise. I think of it as, ‘OK, this is coming at me, it’s like a game.’ Maybe a blitz is coming at Luka, he’s not going to be shocked, he’s going to stay in the moment, figure out the read and make the play. And so when the opportunity came to me, that was my mindset is to, “OK, this is coming, this is a concept that came to me, now, how do I process this mentally to get the deal completed?”
And Pelinka and the Lakers got the deal done, securing a franchise cornerstone in Doncic, who doesn’t turn 26 until Feb. 28, who can lead the Lakers in the present and future.
“It’s a gift,” Pelinka said. “We’re talking about a 25-year-old that is a top-three player in the universe. I can’t think of a more amazing starting point to build a roster for the next decade. And I know he has the drive to win that we have here.
“Our fans are going to see that every night on the court. I know up here he might seem calm and casual and quiet, but we know the alter ego comes out. And we’ll see it at Crypto.com (Arena) soon, and I can’t wait for it.”