Luka Doncic ignites undeniable hope for once-impossible Mavericks reunion

The last nine months for the Dallas Mavericks have been some of the wildest in their entire franchise history, from Luka Doncic getting traded out of nowhere to winning the NBA Draft Lottery and selecting Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick to Nico Harrison getting fired, and so much more. In Harrison's press conference after Doncic was traded, he said that time will tell if he was right or wrong by trading him. Safe to say with Harrison's dismissal, he was dead wrong. With that said, there may be a glimmer of hope when it comes to Doncic coming back to Dallas and becoming a Maverick one day.

Doncic has always been fascinated by Dallas fans. It's his first NBA home, and it's where he was drafted. He was emotional in his return to Dallas when he saw the tribute video of all his "Luka Magic" moments. That could have been the moment when we figured that he wanted to stay in Dallas, but Harrison took it all away.

In a recent press conference, Doncic expressed the same mutual feeling that Mavs fans have about him. Since the trade, the Slovenian superstar has done nothing to express that he despises the city. It's actually the exact opposite. He knows that Harrison is the one wh.o put the trade into motion, and he still has love for many people around the organization. It only makes for an ounce of hope that Doncic can reunite with Dallas again.

Luka Doncic leaves door open for potential Mavericks reunion

“The city of Dallas, the fans, players, they always have a special place in my heart," Doncic told a reporter. "I thought I was gonna stay there forever, but I didn't. Always, I can call it home. But right now I'm focused on the Lakers, trying to move on."

A follow-up question was asked if Doncic would return to Dallas. He said he was only focused on the Los Angeles Lakers. This prompted some fans to believe Doncic would eventually return because he didn't exactly say no, and he had a smirk on his face.

Back in 2014, the stars aligned perfectly for LeBron James to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers. It seemed like four years before that, Cavs fans hated him and would never welcome James back again. Instead, he came home and eventually won one of the more memorable championships in NBA history in 2016, making Cleveland a city of champions for the first time.

Doncic and Dallas have nothing but love for each other, making a reunion very possible. James and the Cleveland fanbase hated when James went to Miami, and the Doncic scenario is a lot more heartwarming.

Even though Nico Harrison was rightfully fired for his foolish mistake, Patrick Dumont still has to apologize for all the negative PR that came afterwards. Dumont was on thin ice for not including Doncic or Dirk Nowitzki in his list of players who work hard, and he shot some flaming arrows at Doncic just like Harrison did.

This was salt in the wounds of fans who still love Doncic. He led the NBA in every major category during the 2024 NBA Playoffs, but apparently, Dumont didn't think he worked as hard (likely influenced by Harrison's dislike for Doncic that he voiced to Dumont). Dumont will have to rekindle his relationship with Doncic, even though he did the right thing by firing the man who traded Doncic before he hit his prime.

The Lakers have a plan to stick with Doncic once James hangs it up. If the opportunity arises, it wouldn't be extreme to think that just maybe, one day, Doncic and Dallas can make it work again. Doncic just signed an extension with the Lakers over the offseason, but it is worth noting that he has a player option after the 2027-28 season. Every Mavericks fan will be hoping that Doncic considers a return home, and time will tell if his love for Dallas could pull him away from Hollywood.