Luka Doncic sat and principally stared flatly, the room undoubtedly spinning as he spoke for the primary time formally as a Los Angeles Laker.
Luka Doncic. Within the constructing. As a Laker.
Loopy.
“Everybody was surprised,” he mentioned with a pause, “so you can imagine how I felt.”
“I remember that exact moment that happened,” Doncic mentioned Tuesday morning. “It always stayed in my mind. It was an amazing moment, just for Kobe to know my name was amazing for me.”
Doncic now can have his place on the foreground of the franchise, identical to Bryant, like Magic Johnson and like LeBron James all did earlier than. The technique of getting him — a virtually month-long negotiation that started inside a Dallas espresso store between Rob Pelinka and Dallas GM Nico Harrison — have surprised the NBA, each rival gamers and workforce executives.
None of it was that the Lakers didn’t ship significant worth — they traded Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round decide. It was that Doncic, a five-time first-team All-NBA participant, was even obtainable in any respect, particularly when he by no means requested to be dealt.
Tuesday, Doncic gave a Dallas-based reporter a rye smile when he was requested if he had given the Mavericks purpose to consider he wouldn’t have signed the supermax extension he’d earned with the workforce.
“Absolutely not,” he mentioned.
The disbelief he was in Los Angeles lower each methods, pleasure for the brand new alternative and shock {that a} commerce might even occur.
“Honestly, it was hard at first. That first day was really hard. I felt like this last 48 hours was one month, like two days ago was one month ago,” Doncic mentioned. “So emotionally, it was really hard. But every day there [after] like today was much better. I’m just very happy to be here for this opportunity. This is the Lakers. It’s one of the best clubs in history. So I’m excited to be here.”
Rob Pelinka’s enthusiasm was slightly simpler to learn.
Pelinka wore a brown leather-based jacket and waxed in regards to the international impression this “seismic” occasion would produce, the Los Angeles Lakers teaming up with Doncic.
“The reason I say that is because we have a 25-year-old global superstar that’s going to get on the stage with the most popular and influential basketball brand on the globe,” Pelinka mentioned. “I think when those two powerful forces come together, it brings basketball joy to the world, because that’s how Luka plays. He plays with joy.
“If you think about kids in Barcelona, or kids in Buenos Aires, or children in Shanghai or Sydney, they’re going to be wearing a No. 77 Luka Doncic Lakers jersey and bringing joy to basketball, just like he does. And that’s why it’s powerful.”
Pelinka mentioned he started processing methods to make the acquisition potential as quickly as he heard a commerce was an choice.
“I don’t think of it in terms of shock, surprise. I think of it as, ‘OK, this is coming at me, it’s like a game.’ Maybe a blitz is coming at Luka. He’s not going to be shocked, he’s going to stay in the moment, figure out the read and make the play. And so when the opportunity came to me, that was my mindset … ‘OK, this is coming. This is a concept that came to me. Now, how do I process this mentally to get the deal completed?’
“And right away when it was brought up at the coffee, my mind started churning. There were so many complicated things.”
Lakers normal supervisor Rob Pelinka, heart, and ahead Markeiff Morris embrace as fellow new Lakers Luka Doncic, left, and Maxi Kleber, proper, collect for {a photograph}.
(Christina Home / Los Angeles Occasions)
Pelinka mentioned he understands the Lakers’ want for a middle after dealing Davis, however the workforce won’t be reactionary on the commerce deadline, calling the marketplace for massive males “dry.” He mentioned an even bigger transfer for a middle greatest suited to Doncic might occur as quickly as this offseason.
Doncic, at the moment out due to a calf damage, could possibly be making his Lakers’ debut shortly, Pelinka mentioned. He’s scheduled for a five-on-five follow on Wednesday. Doncic hasn’t performed since Christmas.
“For the first time, I took my time to get it to heal 100%,” he mentioned. “Other times I think I just wanted to go back on the court playing basketball and not really be healthy 100%. So this time, I just took my time, which was a normal amount of time to get back to 100%.”
Dallas, publicly and privately, have pointed to fears about Doncic’s well being and conditioning as the reason why they determined to commerce him to the Lakers together with Markieff Morris and Maxi Kleber.
“I hear stuff about him not being in shape, but if you can go in a NBA game and get 30, 15, and 10 like it’s nothing, then I don’t really know what shape is,” Morris mentioned. “I’m confused at that part.”
Doncic mentioned he anticipated tales like that after the commerce, and that he wished to take the excessive street, as a substitute selecting to deal with issues like being close to the ocean and attending to play with LeBron James.
New Lakers (second from left to second from proper) Markeiff Morris, Luka Doncic and Maxi Kleber are flanked by GM Rob Pelinka (left) and coach JJ Redick.
(Christina Home / Los Angeles Occasions)
“It’s just like a dream come true,” Doncic mentioned. “I always look up to him. There’s so many things I could learn from him. And I’m just excited, just to learn everything and now I get to play with him. So it’s an amazing feeling.”
Doncic doesn’t come to Los Angeles alone. He’ll carry with him members of his medical workforce, Morris and Kleber. He was teammates with Dorian Finney-Smith and Lakers coach JJ Redick and labored with Lakers assistant Greg St. Jean in Dallas.
“I think that’s a really good thing, you know? To come to a new place but still know some people. And I think that’s, mentally, I think that’s a really good thing,” Doncic mentioned. “And they’re gonna just help me, you know? The guys that are here, they’ll help me, like, learn new stuff about LA, about the team. And it’s just helpful to see friendly faces.”
Morris, a member of the Lakers’ 2020 championship workforce, can be a invaluable veteran voice. And Kleber, who is about to be re-evaluated in eight weeks from a foot surgical procedure, is usually a versatile veteran on each ends of the courtroom. They’ll assist a workforce.
However Doncic can be a basis for a corporation.
“We have one of the game’s biggest superstars, an international player coming to join the Los Angeles Lakers,” Pelinka mentioned. “It’s a convergence of all those forces, and I think it’s going to be something incredibly special that the NBA and basketball has never seen before.”
