Marcus Morris Blasts Mavericks for Sending Luka Doncic to Lakers

Former Sixers forward Marcus Morris has a strong opinion about the Lakers-Mavericks blockbuster deal.

Nov 15, 2022; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) dribbles as LA Clippers forward Marcus Morris Sr. (8) defends during the first quarter at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Months after trading away Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Dallas Mavericks are still catching heat for their decision to cut ties with their young franchise player.

Former Philadelphia 76ers forward Marcus Morris recently touched on the trade, speaking from a player’s standpoint on how he is uncomfortable with the way the post-trade narratives played out due to the whispers coming out of Dallas regarding the young star.

“When I see Michael Finley take that beer out of his hand … As a player, I didn’t like how that looked,” Morris said on The Kevin O’Connor Show.

Jan 22, 2023; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) drives to the basket past LA Clippers forward Marcus Morris Sr. (8) during the first quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

“We just won, we’re celebrating, I have a beer, there’s cameras, and you kind of take that away from me, it’s almost like you’re trying to hint at something, right? As a player at that stature, I didn’t agree with that. I didn’t agree with how they tried to paint that picture.”

Marcus Morris Sr. thinks the moment Michael Finley took the beer from Luka Doncic says a lot about what ended up happening: https://t.co/gDnQf8yXqi pic.twitter.com/jImfKWaRqL

— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) March 19, 2025

Morris referred to a popular clip that was taken of Doncic after the Mavericks won the Western Conference Finals. While it was a laughing point for NBA fans nearly one year ago, it ended up becoming a tactic to justify the trade. Morris suggested the viral clip is helping the Mavericks “paint the picture” that Doncic has a “drinking problem” since the trade went down.

“He was injured—a lot of players get injured all of the time. A lot of players take a long time to come back. His production level is through the roof,” the NBA veteran continued.

“How do you sum up, ‘Okay, it’s time to trade this guy.’ How did that come to your mind? Then, not only that you trade him—you trade him to the Los Angeles Lakers. A team that you have to see every year, four times a year, in the playoffs. What do you think is going to happen when he goes to the Lakers? He’s going to be Luka Doncic 2.0! He’s going to kill!”

Although Morris bounced around the NBA during his time in uniform, he never crossed paths as teammates with Doncic. However, he still has ties to the young star, as Markieff Morris played in Dallas with Doncic and went to Los Angeles with him as a part of the blockbuster trade.

Based on what Marcus Morris sees and knows, he’s clearly a big fan of Doncic, who has been an NBA star since he entered the NBA in 2018-2019.

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