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The Dallas Mavericks-Los Angeles Lakers Luka Doncic-led trade caught the entire sports world by surprise, including Mavs legend Dirk Nowitzki. Nowitzki recently commented on the trade during a speaking appearance hosted by 96.7 The Ticket, quote via NBA insider Marc Stein.
The NBA Hall of Famer admitted that he “really couldn’t believe it.” Every single Mavs fan can certainly agree with that statement, regardless of their thoughts on their deal.
Nowitzki continued to say that he will continue to support Doncic, however, Nowitzki made sure to clarify that he will never become a Los Angeles Lakers fan despite attending Doncic's first game in LA.
“I’ll never be a Laker fan, but I’ll always be a Luka fan,” Nowitzki said. “I’m happy I went to support him.”
Luka Doncic struggling with Lakers after Mavericks trade
Doncic has yet to play up to his expectations with the Lakers. The former Mavericks guard is averaging just 14.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists per outing so far with his new team. It is worth mentioning that Doncic was on a minutes restriction in two of the three games in which he has played with the Lakers.
Doncic is only shooting 35.6 percent from the field and 20.8 percent from beyond the arc, both of which are rather abysmal marks. Still, this is Luka Doncic we are talking about. He is one of the best players in the entire NBA when healthy and appeared destined to eventually win at least one MVP prior to the trade, so one has to imagine he will figure things out.
It will require an adjustment period, though. The Lakers' offense has looked stagnant through his first three games played. With the Mavericks, Doncic's teammates learned to play around him, something his new teammates in Los Angeles are still figuring out.
Still, Dallas fans can rest assured that Dirk Nowitzki, who has a statue standing proudly outside of the American Airlines Center, will continue to support the Mavericks.
