Luka Doncic has been looking forward to returning to Dallas tonight, but he understood that the atmosphere won’t be the same as it was last season, writes Nitish Singh of Dallas Hoops Journal. Emotions were still raw last April when Doncic was introduced at American Airlines Center two months after his unexpected trade to the Lakers. A retrospective video moved Doncic to tears, and he responded with 45 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals in a statement win over the Mavericks.
“Obviously, always going to feel like home there,” Doncic said. “Like I said, I needed that game (last year) to move on a little bit. But obviously, I’ll always appreciate those fans. They were really tight. I think we had a special bond. I really appreciate it all the time.”
The trade sparked fan anger in Dallas and led to a sharp downturn for the Mavs, who were eliminated in the play-in tournament and are off to a 19-26 start. It also resulted in the firing of general manager Nico Harrison in November. Asked in tonight’s pregame session with reporters whether he wishes he could have stopped the trade, coach Jason Kidd dismissed the idea.
“No, I think it’s one year, and next year will be two years,” Kidd said. (Twitter video link from Noah Weber of The Smoking Cuban). “…Luka’s moved on, and we’ve moved on. … That’s just the business of basketball, gotta move forward.”
There’s more from Dallas:
- Kidd was also asked about the prospect of seeing star rookie Cooper Flagg team up with Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving (Twitter video link via Weber). Those three players were expected to be the Mavericks’ foundation entering the season, but injuries have limited Davis’ time on the court with Flagg, and Irving still hasn’t returned from the ACL tear that sidelined him last March. “We would love to see that in ’26,” Kidd said. “There’s no guarantee. … Until we get closer for Kai, or closer for AD, then we can start paying a little bit more attention to that. But right now those guys are out for some time. …We would love to see that trio at some point.”
- Flagg will be limited to 30 minutes for tonight’s game, per Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (Twitter link). Flagg was on a 20- to 25-minute limit in his first two games since returning from an ankle injury, but he topped that number both times.
- Rough weather in Dallas could complicate the team’s effort to get to Milwaukee for Sunday night’s game, tweets Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. The current plan is to take a bus to an area hotel after tonight’s contest ends and fly out in the morning.
I’m just going to go out and say we will never see Flagg, Kyrie and AD playing together
Still a chance. Doesn’t look like AD will be traded this TD. That means they will be together next year. Unless he gets traded at draft.
I just feel like one of them will just always be hurt until eventually Kyrie or AD leaves, even if neither of them get traded this year.
Well unless they trade AD at draft. They will both be there for preseason. At this point thru all the drama Mavs have been thru. I sure would like to see them play together. Even it it’s for awhile.
The best of Cooper is still yrs away. Lakers will have to retool around Luka. When Bron leaves. This can become a good rivalry…..
Can’t believe Ayton is not a difference maker. Wonder what his deal really is. He should be a top 4 center by now.
In five years , Cooper wins his third MVP. Flagg is quickly traded to the Lakers for LeBron and his son. NBA Brass loves the trade, especially when it keeps the Lakes in championship mode and that’s good for league revenues, I mean tv viewership.
The NBA follows MLB in only allowing the LA and NY teams to have first refusal for all Free Agents, Player Drafts, player trade offers and waiver claims too! If either LA Based or NY City based teams pass on a player, then the remaining teams can pick over for the remaining scraps.
Yeah you keep believing that. The rest of us will just enjoy the games. Big market teams do fuel the big leagues. There is enough talent to have true competition. It’s not just about money. Astros, Blue Jays, Thunder, Spurs. Pacers, NFL …
Help! Help! The paranoids are after me! There is a longstanding perception that at least some players, want to be in “spotlight” cities. If that desire can be construed as “… only allowing the LA and NY teams to have first refusal for all Free Agents …”, where is the proof? Knickerbocker Al is right, the big market teams are the fuel. There is a built in imbalance in that reality, but that hardly makes it a conspiracy. Inequitable in many ways? Sure, but a conspiracy ? Nawww.
Yeah lol. Knicks are proof haha.
Old days that might have been true at times. Today not so much.
I was referring more specifically to the stir that is created positively or negatively when the Yankees are in the Series. I believe that dynamic still exists. If it has dimmed, I have dimmed too, an absolutely supportable conclusion. Still, I am only old enough to remember Mantle, Ford and Berra. Ruth and Gehrig were gone before I arrived. I do recall vividly seeing Frazier, Barnett, Reed, DeBusschere, and the rest when I was a young guy; Tom Gola even. The Knicks made a stir when they came to town, maybe less so now.
History lol. Yankees have been the rich team since beginning. And could buy draft picks. MLB draft didn’t start till 1965. Today there is more money around look at Clippers and Warriors. Rangers and Astros. Big market still means something. But teams can compete better is all ….. internet making it global.
Okc Denver And Milwaukee have won 3 of the last 5 championship’s
Small market teams also wins whatever board of governor votes there are in their sleep for the last 2 decades
Believe your on the wrong rumors cite Eric
I worked in game ops for a women’s pro basketball team in the late 90’s. I had always been a proponent of balancing the economic field so competition and therefore opportunity could be even. Naive. I vividly recall a conversation I had with my boss one evening on a road trip with the team. Boss was a Yankees fan. I trotted out my ‘equal opportunity’ sentiment. He stated that the best thing to happen in baseball was the Yankees in the World Series. People loved them or hated them, but when the Yankees were in the Series, they WATCHED and that that meant money for the league. I found/find that distasteful, but if there was a conspiracy, someone would have ratted that out many years ago.
That is true and outdated now lol. Yankees since Ruth and Gerig are the marquee team. Have always had the money to buy stars, talent. The sport, sports in general has grown immensely. You love and hate em you watch. Still works though. But its more broad now. Imo fans today are more informed. So we watch real competition. Also look what Caitlin has done for the W lol.