Luka Doncic’s Father Slams Mavericks After Lakers Trade

Luka Doncic’s blockbuster trade to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis sent the sports world into a frenzy late Saturday night. Initial reports suggest that both Luka and Anthony had no idea the trade occurred until NBA insider Shams Charania broke the news on social media.

The trade also sees the Dallas Mavericks sending Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to the Lakers, while they receive Max Christie and a 1st-round pick in return.

It’s safe to say that the trade has left a few scratching their heads, no less than Mavericks fans, who considered Doncic the face of the franchise as he led the team to an NBA Finals not even a year ago.

So far, Luka has been tight-lipped about the move and chose to leave the Mavericks organization out of his farewell post on social media.

One person who chose not to hold his opinion back was Sasa Doncic, Luka’s father. He appeared on Slovenian TV to give an interview on his opinion of the move:

“With this trade, the hypocrisy [from the Mavs] hurts me personally. I think Luka absolutely did not deserve this, I know he sacrificed a lot. I know Luka really respected Dallas, the city as a whole. He helped children and it was not a problem for him to go to hospitals for charity events. I feel like it’s really unfair from certain people from Dallas.”

Reports from ESPN say that the Mavericks had concerns about Luka’s fitness and conditioning. This apparently was a major factor for the Mavericks to emphasize “defense wins championships,” leading them to acquire Davis, a five-time All-Defensive selection.

His father disagreed with the Mavs’ assessment:

“[His conditioning] wasn’t even a problem last year. One individual said he’s not fit enough. He played 100 games, practically 40 minutes with two or three players constantly on him.”

Despite this, he also emphasized excitement moving forward with the Lakers:

“[Luka] is going to Los Angeles. The city is phenomenal. Basketball tradition is amazing. We know Lakers had Magic, Kobe, Shaquille, Jabbar — a lot of superstars. So, only positive.”

Luka is currently recovering from a calf injury, which has kept him out of action since Christmas. He is on track to return by February 8th, the same day the Lakers host the Indiana Pacers and marking his potential debut.