Luka Doncic breaks the deafening silence after shocking trade to Lakers

The Dallas Mavericks pulled off a move that no one knew was coming on Saturday night as they sent Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick.

All parties involved in this trade were blindsided, as Nico Harrison and Rob Pelinka kept conversations about this trade internal. Not even Jason Kidd knew about this trade until right before it happened, and Mavericks fans are still shocked about the move.

The overwhelming majority of fans feel betrayed and hurt that Dallas would even consider trading Doncic after he led the team to the NBA Finals last season, and Harrison made it clear that he believes the team is built to win right now and into the future with Davis at the helm. He is excited about Davis' two-way ability and called him a "unicorn."

The same could be said about what the team had with Doncic as well, and now fans are going to always wonder what it would have been like for him to play in Dallas for his entire career. He had all-time great written all over him, and now he is going to start the next chapter of his career in Los Angeles.

Luka Doncic wanted to remain in Dallas and win a championship

This morning, Doncic broke the silence after being traded and sent the Mavs group chat a simple message that read "thanks for everything." Naji Marshall revealed this before Dallas took on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday afternoon, and it may take some time for the vibes to return back to normal.

Doncic was expected to sign a massive supermax extension with the Mavericks over the offseason, and now he'll finish the year with the Lakers before entering a major contract year. This has to be the surreal moment of his life, and he still made sure to drop a message to his teammates during this strange time.

Later in the day, Doncic dropped a lengthy message to the city of Dallas on social media, and he made it clear that this was not a move he wanted. Doncic said that he thought he would play his entire career as a Maverick, and he "so badly" wanted to bring Dallas a championship.

Doncic was never focused on the individual awards. He was always locked in on trying to win the NBA Finals, and he made that clear in his letter.

"Thank you not only for sharing my joy in our best moments, but also for lifting me up when I needed it most," Doncic said. "I am leaving a city that will always feel like a home away from a home…Thank you, from the bottom of my heart."

He wanted to be an NBA Champion as a Maverick so badly, and winning was always the priority with Doncic. No matter if it was a game in November or June, Doncic was going to do whatever it took to help Dallas win games.

Doncic's message to the city of Dallas was absolutely beautiful, and now we have a baseline understanding of how he feels about this trade. He was likely just as shocked about this trade as the fanbase was, and now the Lakers are going to reap the benefits of having one of the best offensive players this game has ever seen.

His first message to Lakers fans was on X, and it reads "Grateful for this amazing opportunity. Basketball means everything to me, and no matter where I play the game, I’ll do so with the same joy, passion and goal - to win championships."

Doncic playing next to LeBron James in Los Angeles is going to be one of the most exciting duos this league has ever seen, and Doncic has the exact same mindset as James. They want to compete for a title, no matter where they are.