Luka Doncic had a negative interaction with Patrick Dumont two days before the Dallas Mavericks traded the All-Star to the Los Angeles Lakers last season, sources told Lakers Daily.
When Lakers players asked Doncic why the Mavericks traded him, the future Hall of Famer told them that he thought his last conversation with Dumont may have played a role, sources said.
Dumont and the Mavericks fired Nico Harrison as general manager earlier this week. Harrison no longer wanted the Dallas organization to orbit around Doncic and the former Nike exec convinced Dumont to trade the Slovenian superstar, who cried and threw his phone at the wall after finding out about the trade, sources said.
Doncic has fully moved on from the Mavericks trading him and loves playing for the Lakers and living in Los Angeles, sources said. The Lakers signed Doncic to a three-year, $165 million extension in August. Doncic has close relationships with LeBron James, Austin Reaves and JJ Redick and has told people close to him that he plans to spend the rest of his NBA career with the Lakers, sources said.
Could Doncic sign a one-day contract with the Mavericks and retire with them when he decides to retire from the NBA? It’s possible, but as long as Dumont is Dallas’ governor, Doncic will never play for the Mavericks again, sources said.
Doncic, sources said, was “pissed off” when Dumont said the following to the Dallas Morning News after the Mavericks-Lakers trade:
“If you look at the greats in the league, the people you and I grew up with — [Michael] Jordan, [Larry] Bird, Kobe [Bryant], Shaq [O’Neal] — they worked really hard, every day, with a singular focus to win. And if you don’t have that, it doesn’t work. And if you don’t have that, you shouldn’t be part of the Dallas Mavericks.
“That’s who we want. I’m unwavering on this. The entire organization knows this. This is how I operate outside of basketball. This is the only way to be competitive and win. If you want to take a vacation, don’t do it with us.”
The 26-year-old Doncic is off to a stellar start this season. He’s averaging 34.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 8.9 assists per game for the Lakers, who are 10-4 and will get James back in the lineup soon.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks are only 3-10.
