Perhaps one of the most significant moves in NBA history was when the Los Angeles Lakers traded Anthony Davis and more to the Dallas Mavericks for Luka Doncic.

Doncic, who many consider a top-five player in the NBA, at worst, was unfortunately in the middle of all that after carrying a team to the NBA finals a season ago.

With questions about whether Doncic is happy in Los Angeles, which might be unfair given he hasn’t said anything that would suggest that, he admitted when speaking to reporters earlier in the week that he’s exhausted from everything that happened.

He added that it was a shocking trade, something he must learn from.

“I’m mentally kind of exhausted from everything (specifically, the shocking trade to the Lakers) that happened,” Doncic told reporters. “I know a lot of people won’t believe me, but I am. I think now it’s time to process everything.”

“I don’t know what I learned. Like I said, I think now is the time to process everything. Just emotionally, going through it all, looking back. I’ll let you know in the preseason what I learned about myself.”

Luka Doncic Faced Mental Exhaustion

From the Los Angeles Lakers’ perspective, this was an easy trade to make. According to everything Nico Harrison said, the person who traded him by the Dallas Mavericks, it sounded like he didn’t love Doncic.

Perhaps he had to stick up for whoever told him to make that decision, if it wasn’t him. The last thing Harrison wants is to lose his job, but the comments were loud, and Doncic heard them.

That could also factor in his mental exhaustion, as he took plenty of hits from the media and his former team.

“It’s just sad the way he’s talking right now,” Doncic said of Harrison with ESPN’s Malika Andrews. “I never say anything bad about him, and I just want to move on. The fans, my ex-teammates, I’ll always keep at heart. It’s time for me to move on from there.”

“I mean, it’s painful, depending on how you take it,” Doncic 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.”

What’s Next for Lakers and Luka Doncic?

The next step for the Los Angeles Lakers is to sign Doncic to a long-term extension. He could’ve landed more money if he stayed with the Dallas Mavericks, but that wasn’t his decision.

The Lakers were essentially gifted one of the best players in the NBA, and now have a bright future because of him.

Doncic isn’t easy to build around, but if Los Angeles can add to its roster by signing or trading for athletic players who can defend at a high level and knock down shots, the Lakers should be a much better team than they were in 2024-25.

The Lakers had ups and downs, but their future looks much brighter now than it did without him months ago.