After getting traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers in one of the NBA's biggest blockbusters ever, superstar Luka Doncic is scheduled to take the court for the first time as a Laker.

Doncic, who had dragged an otherwise unremarkable Mavericks team through the Western Conference, became the face of their failure. Dallas coach Jason Kidd was forced to come out and defend his maligned star, even though without Doncic, the Mavericks were a faded Kyrie Irving and a bunch of role players.

Mavericks team governor Patrick Dumont is sympathetic toward angry fans, but passionate in his defense of the controversial Luka Doncic