Needless to say, the February trade that sent Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers shocked everybody. It was especially shocking for a Mavericks franchise that was coming off a trip to the NBA Finals last year and seemed to have at least one more deep playoff run upcoming in the near future.
Mavs head coach Jason Kidd was one of the most stunned people in the organization following the deal. He had developed a connection with Doncic ever since becoming the team’s head coach for the 2021-22 season, and he said during an appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show” that he hasn’t talked to the superstar since shortly after the trade went down.
“I texted him that morning [after the trade] and that’s the last time I’ve talked to him,” said Kidd. “I don’t think he was too happy, and again, from the experience of being traded, maybe being surprised, upset, feelings are high, but again, I loved the opportunity of coaching Luka. He’s an incredible person, and we all know his talent is one of the best in the world. Again, my mindset is to deal with the cards I’m dealt and keep pushing forward. I’ve always said this, publicly and privately, I wish Luka the best. He’s one of the best players in the world.”
In three full seasons together, Kidd and Doncic took Dallas to the Western Conference Finals twice and the championship series once, even though Doncic didn’t have the most impressive roster around him. Doncic had been out with a calf injury since Christmas Day at the time of the trade, which caused the team to struggle without him, but it had been expected that it would get back on track and make some serious noise in the playoffs upon his return.
Instead, the Lakers now have a young generational superstar to build around, and he has taken precedence over LeBron James in terms of the player who will dictate the type of players they will go after this offseason.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Mavericks coach Jason Kidd on when he last talked to new Lakers superstar Luka Doncic
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
