Dirk Nowitzki reveals heartbreaking truth of Mavericks' Luka Doncic trade

The most shocking trade in sports history went down exactly three weeks ago, and the entire NBA world is still chatting about it nonstop.

The Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic, Markieff Morris, and Maxi Kleber to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis and Max Christie, and Mavericks fans still can't believe that Doncic is no longer a Maverick. This trade happened out of nowhere, as Nico Harrison kept negotiations with Rob Pelinka about this deal quiet, and the past few weeks have only made Mavericks fans feel worse about everything.

From Patrick Dumont alluding to Doncic not being a hard worker to Harrison not thinking he was a good culture fit, the Mavericks have definitely kicked him on his way out the door. Kyrie Irving in particular is someone who isn't cool with that, as he'll always have love for his "hermano." Dirk Nowitzki is another person who will always show his support for Doncic.

The final year of Nowitzki's career was Doncic's rookie year, and they've built a special bond ever since. Nowitzki hadn't spoken much ever since the trade went down, and we finally got a better look into how he really feels during a radio appearance on "96.7 The Ticket" on Friday evening.

Dirk Nowitzki knows Luka Doncic wanted to follow in his footsteps

Nowitzki was just as shocked as everyone else about Dallas' trade with Los Angeles, and he was traveling abroad when he got the news. He exchanged texts with Doncic once things died down, and Doncic invited him to his Lakers debut. Nowitzki knew how hard the trade hit Doncic, and he wanted to be there to support his friend and former teammate. He felt bad for Doncic for the way things went down, and he showed his loyalty to him by making sure he was at his first game as a Laker and sitting with his family.

"I wanted to be there for him, I wanted to be there for his family," Nowitzki said about attending Doncic's debut. "I’m sure he wanted to finish his career like I did."

Nowitzki played all 21 seasons of his career in Dallas, and Doncic wanted to do the same thing. He made it clear the day after the trade that he wanted to spend his entire career in Dallas and retire a Maverick, and Nowitzki knows that.

This is the most crushing part of Nowitzki's interview, as most Mavericks fans feel the same way as him. Everyone knows that Doncic wanted to follow in Nowitzki's footsteps and show his loyalty to the franchise by sticking with the Mavericks through thick and thin. Loyalty is something extremely important to Doncic, but the Mavs didn't have the same loyalty for him Doncic was stabbed in the back by the organization, and Nowitzki knew that Doncic wanted to be a Maverick for life, and seeing him get traded in that fashion had to be a hard thing for him. Nowitzki is close to Doncic and has spent time mentoring him, and their friendship won't change just because Doncic is a Laker.

"It was surreal to see him play for the Lakers," Nowitzki said. "So at the end of the day, you know I'll never be a Lakers fan, but I'll always be a Luka fan."