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Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after a dunk during the second half of the basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on November 10, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic wanted to spend his entire career with the Dallas Mavericks, a dream that was snatched from him by Nico Harrison.
Harrison paid for his actions earlier this week, as Mavericks ownership dismissed him for his blunder and held him accountable for the trade of Doncic.
Naturally, Doncic was asked his initial reaction to Harrison’s firing after his Lakers suffered a 121-92 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“The city of Dallas, the fans, the players, they’ll always have a special place in my heart,” Doncic said, via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
“I thought I was going to stay there forever, but I didn’t. So, that will always be a special place for me. I will always call it home. But right now, I’m focused on the Lakers and trying to move on. Obviously, always there will be a part of me there.
“But just trying to move on and focus on what I’m doing here.”
Will Luka Doncic Ever Return to Dallas?
Doncic, who signed a three-year, $161 million extension with the Lakers this offseason, was asked if he’d ever consider returning to Dallas later in his career.
“Right now, I’m just focused on the Lakers,” Doncic responded. “No further comments.”
Meanwhile, Maxi Kleber, the other piece of the infamous Doncic-Anthony Davis trade, was a little more forthright with his comments on Harrison’s dismissal.
“It’s a fast business, man,” Kleber said before Wednesday’s game. “Players, GMs, coaches, everybody. So, always got to be ready for the next move.”
Lakers Hit With Reality Check
Doncic’s Lakers had won seven of their last eight games before Wednesday’s contest against the Thunder. Many expected a close battle, even though the Thunder, the top seed in the West, entered the game -7.5 betting favorites.
JJ Redick’s team quickly learned that they have a ways to go before competing with the Thunder, the overwhelming betting favorites to repeat as NBA champions. The Lakers were pummeled by a margin of 70-30 in the first half, and while things got a lot better in the second period, they were never really in the contest.
Doncic, though, did not raise alarm bells about the Lakers’ biggest loss of the season.
“Definitely wasn’t our best game,” he said, via ESPN. “Probably one of the worst this season, but they did a great job. I think they all did a great job on me. They’re champions for a reason, so they showed that today. I think we need to be more ready. Obviously, it starts with me. I need to be way better than that and got to figure [it] out.”
“It’s not concerning,” Doncic said of the blowout loss.
“I think it’s more of a big motivation. … They were the champions for a reason and it’s a big motivation. They started the year even better [than last season], I think so. It’s a big motivation to see how they play and try to stop them.”
The Lakers are expected to get LeBron James back within the next week or so.
Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan
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