Luka Doncic spoke about his former Dallas Mavericks co-star.
He was answering a question about having to learn to play with Austin Reaves and LeBron James following the midseason trade.
Doncic: “It’s tough to get that chemistry on the court without any practices. I’m really excited to have the preseason with those two… I look back with Kyrie, when he got traded to the Mavs, we didn’t really connect on the court. We didn’t really know each other, each other’s games… We can see next year, we had preseason together and it was just amazing… It’s tough not having practices… But I’m excited about the preseason.”
Doncic and Irving missed the 2023 NBA playoffs after the initial trade.
They then went to the 2024 NBA Finals in their only full season together as teammates.
Despite their disappointing playoff series, the Lakers finished the regular season as one of the best teams in the NBA.
They were the third seed in the Western Conference with a 50-32 record.
Doncic has played seven total NBA seasons.
Ex-Maverick Luka Doncic avoids talking about his future with Lakers
It has been a wild three months for Luka Doncic. His expectations were high after a run to the NBA Finals last season with the Dallas Mavericks, but then he was shockingly traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite never wanting to leave Dallas, he found himself in a new city, having to deal with the emotions of everything around him and also bearing the pressure of now playing for the NBA’s most iconic franchise.
Doncic helped the Lakers rise up to the third seed in the Western Conference for the playoffs, but they caught a bad matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Anthony Edwards and company made quick work of the Lakers, sending Doncic and LeBron James into an early offseason in five games.
It may be best for Doncic’s body to have an early offseason because he can now allow all of his ailments to fully heal, something he hasn’t been able to do in a while. But there will also be a lot of pressure for him to get in better shape, as his conditioning was the center point of why Nico Harrison traded him away.
And then there’s the off-court dealings. Doncic is eligible to sign a four-year, $228 million contract extension this offseason with the Lakers, but he would’ve been eligible to sign a five-year, $345 million supermax deal had he stayed with Dallas. It may be better for him to sign a 2+1 contract extension, which would allow him to be eligible to sign a five-year, $418 million deal that would kick in for the 2028-29 season. However, he says he hasn’t thought much about it.
“I didn’t think of it yet,” Doncic answered about an extension after the Lakers were eliminated. “I have been focused on basketball. This isn’t time to think about everything.”
He has said in an interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews that he’d like to stay in Los Angeles, but his options are more open now than they were had he not been traded out of Dallas.
