Luka Dončić Thanks Mavs After Trade to Lakers: 'I Thought I'd Spend My Career Here'

Luka Dončić released a statement thanking the Dallas Mavericks as well as the team's fanbase for his tenure with the organization after he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.

"I thought I'd spend my career here and I wanted so badly to bring you a championship," Dončić said in the statement posted on social media. "The love and support you all have given me is more than I could have ever dreamed of. For a young kid from Slovenia coming to the U.S. for the first time, you made North Texas feel like home."

The Mavericks received Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick as part of the trade. Los Angeles received Dončić, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris.

Dončić also posted that he is 'grateful' to be joining the Lakers:

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the 25-year-old had "no idea" that Dallas was working on the deal before it was finalized.

NBA insider Marc Stein noted that Dončić did not request to be traded.

Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison explained that he made the trade to acquire Davis for defensive reasons.

"I believe that defense wins championships," Harrison said, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon. "I believe that getting an All-Defensive center and an All-NBA player with a defensive mindset gives us a better chance. We're built to win now and in the future."

He attempted to reach out to Dončić with a text message as well as a phone call once the deal was made, but the forward didn't respond.

"My guess is he probably doesn't want to talk to me," Harrison said, via Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News.

After the Mavericks added Dončić during the 2018 NBA draft, he quickly blossomed into one of the NBA's top players. He earned 2018-19 Rookie of the Year honors and earned All-Star nods in each of the next five seasons.

Dončić helped lead Dallas to a 2024 NBA Finals appearance and remained effective to begin the 2024-25 season despite making just 22 starts due to calf issues.

He leaves the Mavericks with career averages of 28.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game on 47.0/34.8/74.8 shooting splits. Dončić already sat at No. 6 on Dallas' all-time scoring list despite ranking No. 19 in total games played.

Now, he's headed to Los Angeles.