"Why did this dude have serious beef with Luka?" - NBA fans react as Nico Harrison's pre-planned idea to trade Luka Doncic comes to light

Luka Doncic was adored by the Dallas Mavericks loyal fanbase. It seemed as if the Slovenian superstar had hardly put a foot wrong over his seven years with the organization. Doncic guided the franchise to its first NBA finals since 2011. He led the league in scoring last season and finished third in MVP voting.

Therefore, it was perplexing when the Mavs, particularly general manager Nico Harrison, were eager to move on from the talented guard.

According to a recent piece from NBA insider Marc Stein, the idea to trade Luka Doncic was apparently not a spur-of-the-moment decision. The Mavs and Harrison had planned to move on from Doncic before the summer. The well-known reporter made the following comments on his Substack page on Tuesday:

"Whispers via league sources suggesting that Dallas’ decision-makers, most notably general manager Nico Harrison, no longer wanted Planet Mavericks to orbit around Dončić and had grown determined to trade him by this summer at the latest."

It has been over three weeks since Doncic's trade to the LA Lakers was announced, and many fans and analysts still cannot seem to wrap their heads around the logic behind the move. NBA fans took to social media following the latest news of Harrison's pre-planned idea to move on from Doncic.

"Why did this dude have serious beef with Luka?" Commented a fan.

"Thank God he was not GM when Dirk was playing. He'd be traded in 2005," said a fan.

"Dude was just jealous and made the worst decision of his life," commented a fan.

"How do we trade Nico?" said a fan.

"Every report just makes things worse," said one fan.

"Nico failed Dallas," said one fan.

Following the trade, which saw Anthony Davis head the other way, Harrison tried to justify the move while talking to ESPN.

"I believe that defense wins championships," Harrison said. "I believe that getting an All-Defensive center and an All-NBA player with a defensive mindset gives us a better chance. We're built to win now and in the future."

Luka Doncic would have also been eligible for a five-year, $345 million supermax contract in the summer, which may have been another reason Dallas was looking to part ways with the All-Star.

Luka Doncic says "closure" will take time after surprising trade from the Dallas Mavericks

LA Lakers guard Luka Doncic speaks to the media after the game against the Dallas Mavericks at Crypto.com Arena. Photo Credit: Imagn

Tuesday's game between the LA Lakers and Dallas Mavericks saw Luka Doncic face his former team for the first time since his highly publicized move. The five-time All-Star was sensational on the night, finishing with 19 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists to record a triple-double and lead his team to a 107-99 victory.

Following the game, Doncic was asked if the matchup provided him with any sort of closure.

"The closure is going to take a while, I think," he said. "It's not ideal, but like I said, I'm glad this game is over. There's a lot of emotions, but we go little by little, and every day is better."

The Lakers have now won three consecutive games to improve to 35-21 and elevate themselves to fourth in the Western Conference standings. With Luka Doncic and four-time league MVP LeBron James leading the way, the Lakers look like legitimate contenders this season.