Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic has had around a month to get his feet wet with his new team after the Dallas Mavericks shocked the world and traded him to the storied franchise. He’s appeared in eight games with the team, and his most recent game in a Lakers uniform came against the Los Angeles Clippers on March 2.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Doncic had a “one team, one city forever” mindset during his time with the Mavericks and thinks that demeanor will carry over into his Lakers tenure.
“Mark Cuban said once, ‘I would rather get a divorce than to trade Luka Doncic,'” Charania began on the subject of the Slovenian. ‘”I wanted to retire Luka Doncic’s jersey.’ And I know in talking to people on Luka Doncic over the last 72 hours — I was at that Lakers-Clippers game on Sunday — he had no intention ever of leaving Dallas. He had just bought a new home in Dallas for a lofty, lofty price. He did not want to go anywhere.
“You think of a player coming from abroad, they’re very committed. They’re loyal, and that’s how he viewed himself with the Mavericks. It’s like one team, one city forever, and I think that’s gonna carry over to the Lakers. I think he’s loving his time in L.A. I think he’s loving how the Lakers — you think about what the Lakers brand is. It’s like treating stars like stars — it’s Hollywood. It’s making the star players bigger than life, and that’s what we’re gonna see with Luka Doncic.”
If Doncic sticks around in Los Angeles for the long haul, he’d be the latest in a long list of NBA stars over the years to do so. Some of the most iconic players of all time such as guards Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant spent the entirety of their NBA careers in a purple and gold uniform.
Doncic’s current teammate, James, has played for two other teams outside of the Lakers, but he’s spent a considerable amount of time with the team at this point as well. James joined Los Angeles after spending the 2017-18 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers and has been a Laker ever since. It’s quite possible that James retires from the NBA with the Lakers, as he’s the league’s oldest player at 40 years old.
The Lakers might not have to worry about being uncompetitive after James retires for as long as Doncic remains with the team, either. The Mavericks were perennial playoff contenders with Doncic in the fold and reached two Western Conference Finals and one NBA Finals.
Maybe Doncic will be able to lead the Lakers deep into the playoffs as soon as this year. Los Angeles has been on a tear over the past several weeks and has won its way up to the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference standings.
Doncic’s Lakers will try for their seventh win in a row when they do battle against a subpar New Orleans Pelicans team on Tuesday. At 17-44 on the season, the Utah Jazz are the only team in the Western Conference with a worse record right now.
