Luka Doncic’s dad was as surprised by his son’s trade to the Los Angeles Lakers as everyone else.
But Sasa Doncic vented his frustration with the deal Sunday to Slovenian outlet Arena Sport 1. He said while he understood that players often change teams, he was unhappy with the secrecy in which the trade was conducted.
He also used the word ‘hypocrisy’ to describe how he believes the Dallas Mavericks treated the player who helped them reach the NBA Finals last year for the first time since 2011.
‘I understand there comes a moment when you disagree with a certain philosophy,’ Sasa Doncic said, as translated by Arena Sport. ‘You don’t like this or that player, all good – I get it.
‘But I think that exactly this secrecy, or should I say from some individuals, maybe even hypocrisy, this hurts me personally. Because I think that Luka absolutely doesn’t deserve this.’
Doncic, who has been out since Dec. 25 with a calf injury, was named Rookie of the Year in his 2018-19 season and had spent his entire career with Dallas. He is a five-time All-Star and has finished in the top five in MVP voting three times.
While he has been limited to 22 games this season because of injury, the fewest he played before this season was 61. In seven seasons (2020-21 was 72 games because of COVID-19), he averaged 76 games a season, with 28.6 ppg, 8.3 apg, 8.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals.
In trading him for Anthony Davis, a defensive stalwart, Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison said he and coach Jason Kidd believed defense wins championships. Harrison also alluded to Doncic’s upcoming contract situation, when he would have been eligible for a five-year, $345 million super max contract extension this summer.
There also was talk around the league that the Mavericks were unhappy with Doncic’s conditioning.
This is where Sasa Doncic really took the team to task.
‘[Luka’s conditioning] wasn’t even a problem last year since, I am saying again, one individual said he’s not fit enough,’ Sasa said. ‘That he played, I don’t know, 100 games ‒ practically 40 minutes with two or three players constantly on him.
‘That he was beaten, and you say such things about him ‒ I feel that this is very unfair from certain individuals. You traded him, stand by your actions but don’t look for excuses or alibis, that’s it.’
In his farewell letter, Luka Doncic thanked fans and the Dallas community for their continued support throughout his career – the ups and downs – but specifically did not mention the organization.
He wrote in part: ‘For a young kid from Slovenia coming to the U.S. for the first time, you made North Texas feel like home. In good times and bad, from injuries to the NBA Finals, your support never changed. Thank you not only for sharing my joy in our best moments, but also for lifting me up when I needed it most.’