Luka Doncic throws brutal gut punch at Mavericks with blunt Lakers admission

Dallas Mavericks fans have wanted Luka Doncic to return to Dallas since the second he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers last February, but the chances of him returning to the Mavericks in a few years have just sunk significantly following All-Star weekend.

Doncic barely played in the All-Star Game, but one of his answers during an interview revealed his true thoughts on the Lakers as his first full regular season in Los Angeles will soon come to a close. Doncic said that the Lakers were a better organization than the Mavericks, and this is one of the few jabs that Doncic has thrown at Dallas since he was ripped away from the city that he loved so dearly.

"I think there is a better organization here," Doncic said. "The Lakers are really a legendary club and the organization is really legendary."

Doncic believes Lakers are a better organization than Mavericks

While Doncic would never say that the Mavericks are a better organization than the Lakers while playing for Los Angeles, he is too media-trained to let something like this slip. His answers in interviews are strategic, and he could've been looking to make a point to make it clear that his heart remains in Los Angeles for the time being.

Speculation about Doncic returning to Dallas in the summer of 2028 has only increased recently, as rumors surfaced that Mark Cuban was looking to buy the Mavericks back from Patrick Dumont, along with the help of an investor group. Doncic is obviously fond of Cuban, as he was the owner who drafted him in 2018, and Cuban has made it clear that he would've never traded Doncic.

Cuban wasn't involved in the Doncic trade at all, and Nico Harrison didn't key him in until the deal was already done. Mavericks fans know that Cuban loved Doncic as much as anyone, and Doncic would likely be at the top of his 2028 free agency wish list if he were to buy the team back.

Despite the Cuban rumors, getting Doncic back to the Mavericks won't be easy.

Loyalty is extremely important to Doncic, as shown by the tears rolling down his face during his return to the American Airlines Center after the trade, and he has been loyal to the Lakers since being traded there. Los Angeles has become home for him, and he made that clear by saying that they're a better organization than Dallas.

This doesn't completely rule out the possibility of him becoming a Maverick again, though, as he clearly loves the city and the fan base that backed him through thick and thin for the first six and a half seasons of his career. Mavericks fans will always love Doncic, and he'll always replicate that same love back to them.

Despite this, he is focused on winning a title with the Lakers right now, and the chances of him becoming a Maverick again when he potentially hits free agency in 2028 isn't a guarantee by any means.