Luka dismisses report of future trade request: 'I'm happy' in Dallas
Luka Doncic dismissed a report that the Dallas Mavericks fear he may request a trade next summer if the club fails to make significant progress by then.
"I saw the report. I don't know who - somebody said that I was going to request a trade," Doncic told reporters Sunday during the team's exit interviews, according to Grant Afseth of DallasBasketball.com. "It was funny because I didn't know that was true. I didn't say it."
Doncic added: "I'm happy here, so there's nothing to worry (about)."
Doncic had another strong individual campaign in 2022-23, averaging 32.4 points, 8.6 boards, eight assists, and 1.4 steals across 66 appearances. The 24-year-old also registered 10 triple-doubles and earned his fourth straight All-Star nod.
Dallas acquired Kyrie Irving from the Brooklyn Nets ahead of the trade deadline in an attempt to bolster its squad, but the team's new star pairing failed to lift the club into the postseason.
With the Mavericks' playoff hopes hanging by a thread, the team held multiple key players out of Friday's game against the Chicago Bulls. Doncic was the only significant piece in the lineup for Dallas' penultimate regular-season game and was pulled from the contest after playing the entire first quarter.
The decision didn't sit well with Doncic, though he and the club agreed on it beforehand.
"I didn't like it. That's it," Doncic said, according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon.