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Dallas Mavericks Hall of Fame forward Dirk Nowitzki will never forget when Luka Doncic was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Even Mavericks CEO Rick Welts thought he received a prank call when he was informed about Doncic's trade, which was centered on acquiring All-Star center Anthony Davis. To this day, Nowitzki is still in awe of the magnitude of such a shocking move.
Nowitzki, who spent his entire 20-year NBA career with the Mavericks, reflected on Doncic's trade alongside Hall of Fame guard and former teammate, Steve Nash, per Let's Talk on RCD Mallorca's YouTube.
“Nobody knew this — saw this — coming. And this was not just basketball news. This was world news. I was actually traveling somewhere, and this was all over TV,” Nowitzki said. “I was surprised how big those news were. And yeah, it was a tough, tough decision I think the club had to make. And you know, it just—it happened. I think in the NBA, there’s always stuff that surprises everybody. That’s what kind of keeps it, I guess, interesting also.”
Dirk Nowitzki knows Doncic's trade to the Lakers will go down in history as one of the most shocking trades in NBA history.
“Of course, I want to support Luka, but I’m also a Maverick for life, you know? So this was a tough decision for me. But I want to keep obviously supporting both,” Nowitzki added. “I want to wish Luka the best in L.A., and I think he’s going to have a great career there. And of course, the Mavs moved on and now got the first pick. So I think at this point, both sides are moving on and hopefully doing well after.”
Both the Mavs and the Lakers' fanbases are looking forward to what should be very exciting seasons in 2025-26.
Mavericks CEO gets brutally honest about Luka Doncic trade
While he was stunned by the team's Luka Doncic move, CEO Rick Welts believes in the Mavericks' front office. Wells said he understands that sometimes the right decision for a team's future isn't always the easiest to make, per Bloomberg TV.
“You can't have fear or regrets in this business, right? It's all about how you move forward. So it doesn't really serve a purpose to have regrets,” Welts said.
“But, what I will say: I learned about the depth of the connection between Mavericks fans and this team, and that, to me, was glass half full because I knew we could restore that over time. I didn't think it would happen quite as quickly, perhaps as it's happened.”
The first overall pick in this year's draft, Cooper Flagg, will make his Mavericks debut next season.
