New Los Angeles Lakers guard Jaden Hardy is excited to reunite with Luka Doncic, saying the Slovenian star played an important role in his development during their time together with the Dallas Mavericks.
"Me and Luka, and we got [Quentin] Grimes too. When we were in Dallas, we had a great group," Hardy said on the Lakers' official YouTube channel. "Just being back with them, playing in front of the best fans in the world is going to be super exciting, and I can't wait to do it."
Hardy and Doncic were teammates in Dallas from Hardy's rookie season in 2022-23 until Luka was traded to the Lakers in February 2025.
Their biggest run together came in 2024, when the Mavs reached the NBA Finals before losing to the Boston Celtics in five games. Hardy appeared in all five games of the series.
"Whenever I was playing alongside Luka, he used to always instill confidence into the young players, tell them to keep going," Hardy said. "That helped me a lot when I was a rookie."
"And playing alongside him then in my second year, when we went to the Finals, he was big for me during that time and during that stretch," he added. "He was someone that I could lean on and talk to."
Hardy joined Lakers in Ayton trade
Hardy started last season with Dallas before being traded to the Washington Wizards in February as part of the deal that sent Anthony Davis to Washington.
He appeared in 57 games between the Mavericks and Wizards, averaging 9.2 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.0 assist in 15.8 minutes per game.
His production increased after arriving in Washington, as he averaged 11.5 points in 23 games for the Wizards while shooting 42.0% from three-point range.
The Lakers acquired Hardy in July, sending Deandre Ayton to Washington and receiving second-round picks in 2031 and 2032 in the trade.
Hardy was originally selected with the No. 37 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.