Kyrie Irving, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo were all asked for the reactions to the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade.
After the Mavs narrow loss to Philly on Tuesday night (their second straight loss without Luka on the team), Irving shared his reaction to the trade.
“Just really shocked,” Kyrie said. “You just don’t imagine that you’re going to get ready to go to sleep and you find out news like that. Still a grieving process right now. I miss my hermano. We had a lot of time together. …We just built something. Bonds that went beyond the basketball court.”
He later added, “I don’t want to downplay this or disrespect our new guys. They’re gonna help us win and help us huddle towards a championship…just like everyone else at home, you kinda see it from afar..it hurts.”
Kyrie was asked about the challenge of being the main face of the franchise now and he said it will be an opportunity to “rise up and learn more about yourself.”
Irving also confirmed that he reached out to Luka and made sure he and his family were good.
Jokic confirmed that he reached out to his buddy Luka after the trade and thinks he will do good things in LA.
“I texted him… I think he didn’t expect it of course… It’s a big move, it’s a business, I don’t know. I think nobody expected it. Especially not him. I think nobody’s safe in the league it seems like, but I think he’s gonna do a good job. I think he’s the player for the big scene. Even though I thought in Dallas he had something special going.”
Giannis was also completely bewildered by the trade news and called it “fake news” and “insane.”
“This is the world we’re living in,” he told reporters Sunday. “It’s a business, you have to understand nobody’s safe, nobody’s safe. … At the end of the day—I’ve said this in the past—you get evaluated every single day. You don’t take nothing for granted.”
READ MORE: All The Reasons Dallas Thought It Was a Good Idea To Trade Luka Doncic
