The NBA world was taken aback when the Dallas Cowboys traded franchise centerpiece Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for forward Anthony Davis. It was a move that turned the entirety of the Mavericks fan base against Dallas general manager Nico Harrison.
Earlier this week, Harrison and Mavs CEO Rick Welts held a private press conference with select Dallas journalists and publicly spoke about the trade for the first time. Shockingly, Harrison stated that he has “no regrets” concerning the trade, citing his belief that “defense wins championships,” per ESPN.
Now, Doncic is responding to Harrison’s words.
“I mean it’s painful, depending on how you take it,” he said. “It mostly came from Dallas, so I didn’t want to talk back. But I don’t really read that much stuff. I’m just trying to focus on my journey.”
Doncic said that he was lying down when he first heard the news.
“I was actually in the bed. My TV wasn’t working so I was on my iPad watching a movie about to go to sleep. First thing I said, probably three times, was, ‘Is this [an] April 1st [joke]?'”
“Sadness, mostly,” Doncic said of his initial feelings on the matter. “I was still in shock. Like, crazy shock. I felt like my heart was broken, honestly.”
It’s hard to imagine Harrison will ever live down this trade if Doncic and the Lakers go on to win the NBA Finals this season.
