Luka Doncic may wear purple and gold now, but the ghost of Dallas still follows him up the court. Every step in L.A. seems to echo with the crowd that once screamed his name. The Don averaged 28.2 a night with 6 straight 30-point triple-doubles last season, yet every time “Dallas Mavericks” flashes on the schedule, it feels personal. This week, that familiar ache comes back into play. Because for Luka, some feelings don’t fade with the jersey swap.

The 26-year-old superstar admitted so himself, saying, “Obviously, I’m going to feel something every game I play against them. I am kind of starting a new chapter here … but … it’s always going to be something.” You can almost hear the unspoken sigh. That “something” is the story, the one that’s been building ever since February when Dallas made arguably the most shocking trade in NBA history.

Luka Doncic, the Mavericks’ heart and headline for half a decade, was traded to Los Angeles in exchange for Anthony Davis. In that moment, it felt less like a trade and more like a cultural shock to Mavs loyalists. 5 All-NBA First Team nods, 1 Finals run, 82 triple-doubles, and gone, just like that.

But the why still remains in the air of every arena he walks into. Inside the Dallas Mavericks’ front office, whispers about conditioning and long-term fit turned into boardroom debates.

For Dallas, the gamble was simple to reset before it’s too late. For Luka, it was a wake-up call. And since then? He’s been revising the suspicions about him both physically and statistically.

In his first Lakers season, Doncic averaged 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 7.7 assists. Throw in a record-breaking streak of six straight 30-point triple-doubles, and you’ve got a player who reinvented himself amid all the chaos. And when EuroBasket rolled around, he doubled down with a tournament-leading 34.7 points per game, looking hungrier.

But this preseason, the emotions have been catching up. His long-awaited Lakers debut against the Suns was irresistible, but the reunion everyone wanted, the showdown with Dallas, will have to wait.

ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported that Doncic won’t play the second night of the back-to-back, meaning no emotional face-off just yet. “It stands to reason if he hasn’t played up to this point, he’s not going to play tomorrow night in the second night of back-to-back against his former team,” McMenamin said.

So, what’s the strategy here? LeBron James is out with sciatica and won’t see action for another 3–4 weeks. That leaves the Lakers’ offense in Luka’s hands, quite literally. JJ Redick summed it up perfectly, saying, “Give him the ball.” And while it sounds simplistic, it’s the entire blueprint.

Luka Doncic’s unfinished Dallas business in LA’s purple and gold

Doncic is the offense. The Los Angeles Lakers are easing him in with limited minutes, making sure their new star player dominates smoothly before the regular season opener on October 21. Meanwhile, the supporting cast is still taking shape. Marcus Smart, Deandre Ayton, Austin Reaves, and Dalton Knecht are expected to form part of the core rotation. For Redick, this preseason is mostly about rhythm.

Getting Luka comfortable and finding roster chemistry before the curtain rises for real. Because let’s be real, Luka Doncic was never meant to blend in. In L.A., his game has taken on a new flair, one that even Lakers legends are noticing.

James Worthy recently drew a line straight to Magic Johnson, saying, “The one thing that Magic and Luka have in common is that they can take a snapshot. Both are really good rebounders. They get that rebound, take a quick shot of the floor, and calculate where you’re going to be.” It’s a compliment that carries weight in purple and gold.

Worthy even pointed to the synergy brewing between Doncic and big men like Ayton and Jaxson Hayes, predicting an alley-oop renaissance. “Because Luka just, he just looks at you and smiles, and he throws a little lob to the right,” Worthy laughed. And Luka has been an architect in this rebuild.

Reports confirmed he vouched for Ayton directly, pushing for his signing. That move alone shows the level of trust the front office already has in him. Magic built dynasties that way. Luka’s laying the bricks now. Even the stats back it up. He averaged 30.2 points and 7.8 assists last postseason.

And when he posted back-to-back 35+ point, 5+ rebound, 5+ assist, and 5+ three-pointer games, something only Kobe Bryant had done before him, it stopped being about comparisons. Luka was making his own chapter in LakersNation. 

But while the numbers overwhelm, the story that persists is emotional.

Dallas was his basketball childhood. He grew up there professionally, carried their dreams, and broke their records. So when he says, “It’s always going to be something,” it’s not nostalgia. It is rather unfinished business. The reunion will come, maybe not this preseason, but soon enough.

And when it does, expect more than handshakes and hugs. Expect Luka to remind Dallas, and the entire league, that you can trade the player, but you can’t trade the fire he leaves behind.