In This Story
Dallas Mavericks
Los Angeles Lakers
Aug 5, 2025 1:57 PM EDT
Even though Dirk Nowitzki overlapped with Luka Doncic for a lone season, the Dallas Mavericks always belonged to the Slovenian superstar. From his first season, he was special, and then he ran off with five All-NBA First Team selections in a row.
Still, he never seemed to be one to call the shots behind closed doors. In many ways, he was the perfect star: loyal to the fanbase, willing to go with the whims of the franchise, and dominant on the court.
After being traded to the Lakers in a deal he would later call “heatbreaking,” Doncic seems well aware that loyalty can be commended, but is rarely rewarded, and he has taken matters into his own hands on his new team in a way he never has before.
Simply put, he is offering effort to the Lakers that the Mavericks simply never saw from him.
“Luka is operating in a way in conjunction with the Lakers front office in ways that he never did in Dallas, even though it was fully his intent to be in Dallas for his entire career,” revealed ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “I think the shock of the trade has kind of woken Luka up to the importance of being business savvy in the NBA. Again, he had never been this active in recruiting players like he was with DeAndre Ayton and with Marcus Smart. He had never been as active.”
Doncic has made it clear that he values free agent pickups like Ayton and Smart, who should be able to maximize his skillset. He also has a positive relationship with both LeBron James and Austin Reaves, possibly keeping his co-stars in LA long-term.
The Mavericks never got to see this version of Luka. Under leaders like Mark Cuban, Nico Harrison, and Patrick Dumont, Doncic was downright trusting. After being dealt in the middle of the night, that has changed.
He’s calling the shots, and it seems like his new team, unlike the Mavericks, is ready to invest in him.
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Jonah Kubicek