Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic heard all sorts of disparaging noise coming from the Dallas Mavericks organization when he was traded last February in a series of events that fans are still processing.
In the immediate aftermath of the deal, lines blurred between what was rumor and what was actual intel, and before long, a national narrative emerged that Dallas had traded Luka partially because of his fitness. Nico Harrison allegedly didn't believe it was possible to build a contender around Luka's conditioning habits and subpar defense.
Latest Cooper Flagg statement will light a fire under Luka Doncic
Harrison's since been fired, and Luka is the driving force behind a winning team in LA, but the noise out of Dallas continues to haunt Luka, even if it's not coming from the organization itself.
The rapid rise of Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg had ESPN's Brian Windhorst making a hot statement this week: "Flagg could end up being a better player and a better franchise leader than Luka," Windy asserted.
In Windhorst's defense, Flagg's numbers have been absurd lately, and he's already looking like a franchise player.
On the other hand, a lot can go wrong for Flagg in between now and five All-NBA First Team selections, not to mention an NBA Finals appearance, all by his mid-twenties, feats that Doncic achieved in a Mavericks uniform.
In other words, the vision is there for Flagg to become one of the league's best players (and a savior for the Mavericks), but for Windhorst to make this statement so early on is a disservice to the player who's already done it.
Who knows why the basketball gods rewarded Dallas with the No. 1 overall pick after the Mavs completely botched the Luka trade, and in doing so, completely ruined their franchise. That will never be explained.
But why can't we experience and appreciate Flagg without diminishing what Luka accomplished in Dallas? Why do Flagg's positive qualities and eye-opening numbers have to come at the expense of Luka's Mavs legacy?
If this kind of narrative continues, it's only going to add more bulletin board material to Luka's wall.
In his first offseason since being traded, Doncic went out and got in the best shape of his NBA career, and he's been able to stay relatively durable while putting up MVP numbers as a result.
The latest hamstring injury has been revealed as nothing serious, which made Lakers fans sigh with relief.
It might be a long time before Luka's achievements in Dallas are given full appreciation by the media. Mavericks fans definitely understand the impact he had on the franchise and city. Lakers fans are already feeling it, and he's only been with the team for a year.