Luka Doncic ready to move on after dominating Dallas Mavericks in emotional return

The NBA world has yet to fully recover from the shock of Luka Doncic being traded away by the Dallas Mavericks over two months ago. The most significant moment since the trade came Wednesday night, with Luka returning to play in Dallas for the first time.

'Fire Nico' chants rained down all night as Luka Doncic put on a spectacular show, dropping 45 points. He was crying while his tribute video played before the tip, but it was all business once he got onto the floor. The Slovenian superstar has been candid about how much this trade hurt him, but it seems that he has finally received a bit of closure.

“I love these fans, I love this city, but it’s time to move on.”

— Luka Doncic pic.twitter.com/VN5rOzGj3A
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) April 10, 2025

“I love these fans, I love this city, but it’s time to move on," Luka Doncic told the sideline reporter at the end of the game.

His words will surely be a dagger to the hearts of Mavs fans, the man himself seems to have closed this chapter for now. And with the Los Angeles Lakers nicely set up to make a deep run in this season's NBA playoffs, it makes sense that Doncic is ready to embrace the new challenge.

In 27 games for Los Angeles so far, Doncic has averaged 27.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.6 assists. The team seems to be working well around him, with the Lakers becoming prolific three-point shooters since Doncic's arrival.

The team will likely be the 3rd seed going into the postseason, and if Luka performs to his usual playoff standards, it should make the process of moving on a lot easier to stomach. It doesn't seem like a great time to be a Mavericks fan, though.

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