Los Angeles Lakers star Luka DonÄić declined to weigh in much about the Dallas Mavericks’ decision to fire the general manager who shipped him out of town.
“The city of Dallas, the fans, the players, they’ll always have a special place in my heart,” he said after Wednesday’s 121-92 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “I thought I was going to stay there forever, but I didn’t. So that will always be a special place for me. I will always call it home. But right now, I’m focused on the Lakers and trying to move on. But obviously, always there will be a part of me there.
“But just trying to move on and focus on what I’m doing here.”
DonÄić added he’s “focused on the Lakers” when asked about the potential for him to ever play for the Mavs again.
There’s little reason for Luka to dance on Nico Harrison’s metaphorical grave because plenty of others are doing that already. The immediate aftermath of a blowout loss isn’t really the time to rehash past drama, either.
The fact DonÄić said he once believed he’d spend his entire career in Dallas pretty much speaks for itself, though. He also watched the Mavericks pretty much wage a PR battle against him in order to justify a massively unpopular move.
The “Fire Nico” chants that continued to ring out inside American Airlines Center are a sign of how raw the emotions remain months after DonÄić’s exit.
A lot of people in the five-time All-Star’s position would take some small personal satisfaction in watching Harrison’s downfall from afar. And if we know one thing about high-level athletes, they never let go of a grudge.
Maybe there will be a better time and place for DonÄić to offer his unvarnished opinions of Harrison. Should he go on to achieve big things with the Lakers, he may conclude there’s nothing to be gained from relitigating his blockbuster trade.
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