The fallout from Nico Harrison’s firing in Dallas quickly shifted attention to one man: Luka Doncic.
After months of tension since February’s shock trade that sent him to the Los Angeles Lakers, the former Mavericks cornerstone was asked directly whether Harrison’s firing would change his future.
Doncic didn’t make his position clear, but he didn’t close the door either.
“The city of Dallas, the fans, the players, they’ll always have a special place in my heart,” Doncic told reporters after the Lakers’ win over Atlanta. “I thought I would stay there forever, but I didn’t. I could always call it home. But right now I’m focused on the Lakers and trying to move on.”
“The city of Dallas, the fans, the players will always have a special place in my heart. I thought I would stay there forever, but I didn’t. I could always call it home. But right now I’m focused on the Lakers and trying to move forward.”
-Is there a world that you can see… pic.twitter.com/wn8hOvl49y
— Luka Updates (@LukaUpdates) November 13, 2025
When asked if he could ever put on a Mavericks uniform again, his answer was brief but telling:
“Right now I’m focused on the Lakers. No further comment.”
It’s no secret that Doncic loves Dallas. He publicly took on the responsibility of carrying the franchise after Dirk Nowitzki retired and for a time seemed destined to become a statue outside the court.
But any hypothetical reunion will require patience. Doncic just signed a three-year, $165 million contract extension with Los Angeles this offseason, making him trade-eligible until early February, less than two weeks before the trade deadline.
He can opt out before his third season, at which point he would be eligible for a five-year, $417 million supermax free-agent contract.
Harrison’s firing was widely anticipated after trading Doncic to the Lakers and then leaking negative reports about the superstar’s health, reopening a conversation that many thought was over.
Harrison kept his negotiations with Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka a “secret,” and the messy exit left the impression that the move was personal rather than purely basketball-driven.
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