What Luka Doncic broke right after being traded from Mavericks to Lakers

Lawrence Fernandez

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What Luka Doncic broke right after being traded from Mavericks to Lakers image

The Los Angeles Lakers' enthusiasm increased after pulling off the seismic trade for five-time All-NBA First Team member Luka Doncic. Before the trade, the Lakers were doing well with Anthony Davis as they’ve won 27 of their first 46 games.

However, since the trade for the two All-Stars went through, the Lakers went 23-13, while the Dallas Mavericks turned from defending Western Conference champions to play-in tournament participants. While it’s been two months since the shocking midseason trade occurred, the deal continues to send shockwaves throughout the league.

Doncic’s offensive prowess and playmaking ability helped the Lakers finish third in the highly competitive Western Conference. Their first-round opponents, the Minnesota Timberwolves, are no pushovers. However, having Doncic in their fold gives the Lakers the weapons to match last year’s Western Conference runners-up.

As the five-time NBA All-Star participates in his first playoff series for Los Angeles, it’s still surreal to see the Slovenian phenom in a Lakers uniform. A player of his caliber should have stayed in Dallas throughout his career, and the Mavericks would do whatever it takes to keep him on their roster.

Instead, what happened was the first in-season trade between two All-Starts in league history. It was a perplexing turn of events, especially for Mavericks fans, who publicly criticized general manager Nico Harrison for pulling off what they perceived as an unfair trade. After all, Doncic is the face of the franchise and their top draw who boosts ticket and jersey sales.

But even Doncic was so shocked by the trade that he admittedly threw his phone away after the league office approved the swap. His manager, Lara Beth Seager, showed the broken Apple iPhone during Doncic’s recent interview with ESPN NBA Today host Malika Andrews.

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Andrews asked Doncic if he threw his phone after hearing the news. The 2019 NBA Rookie of the Year confirmed Andrews’ assumption, which was unsurprising because the Mavericks front office did not involve Doncic during the trade discussions. The 26-year-old combo guard only knew about the trade once both parties agreed to terms.

 

 

While the phone shows some visible damage, Luka Doncic still uses it because it’s still working. As he retains his communication gadget, Lakers fans hope that his collaboration with LeBron James and Austin Reaves will also work during the playoffs.

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Lawrence Fernandez

Lawrence Fernandez is a freelance NBA writer with The Sporting News. He has covered football, basketball and mixed martial arts since 2018. His works have been published at Heavy, ClutchPoints, Sportskeeda, FanSided and ONE Championship. He is a die-hard Celtics fan who dreams of watching a game at TD Garden.