Today is the day Luka Doncic makes his long-awaited return to Dallas. It has been two months since the blockbuster deal that sent him to the Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis. The Slovenian star has indicated he is no longer thinking about his former team. However, he recently denied an endorsement opportunity for the Mavericks, proving he still isn’t over the betrayal.
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The Mavericks release of Doncic remains a shock, no matter how many games he has played with the Lakers. The five-time All-NBA member just led the Mavs to an NBA Finals appearance only a season ago. That seemingly didn’t matter much as the team unexpectedly cut him loose.
Doncic had become the face of the Mavericks franchise. Ahead of his return to the city in which his NBA career began, the organization looked to capitalize financially. That didn’t go as planned.
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon revealed Dallas had multiple lucrative sponsorship deals in line for the heavyweight matchup between the Mavericks and Lakers—many of which were Doncic-endorsed. He used his power to squash any developments for his former team.
“Team sources told ESPN that the Mavs had also lined up lucrative sponsorship deals for Wednesday’s game, with multiple companies that Doncic endorses, but those deals fell apart after Doncic’s camp declined to give its blessing, pointedly noting that he now plays for the Lakers,” McMahon said.
McMahon reports the Mavericks franchise is expecting to lose nine figures as a result of Doncic’s actions. Dallas just keeps losing money as fallout from the trade continues.
This set of actions suggests Doncic is not over the his sudden dismissal. But he also admitted it himself.
Doncic reveals he is “still adapting” to the Lakers
The transition from Dallas to Los Angeles hasn’t been easy for Doncic. The process of acclimating to new coaches, teammates and environments is still ongoing. In his media availability ahead of his return to Dallas, Doncic spoke about his feelings with the media.
“I know it’s been two months or something, but still adapting a little bit,” Doncic said. “It was a big change. But it’s getting better.”
Although Doncic is still adjusting, his performance shows he is more than comfortable. He is averaging 27.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists with the Lakers. After a rocky start with his new team, he has looked more like the potential face of the league the basketball has grown to know.
Doncic’s words and actions demonstrate he hasn’t forgiven the Mavericks for letting him go. His performance will serve as further evidence of his emotions. Tipoff between the Lakers and Mavericks is at 7:30 PM ET on ESPN.
