Luka Doncic disappointed after Mavericks waive valued teammate

The Dallas Mavericks needed to clear a roster spot after trading Harrison Barnes to the Sacramento Kings, and Salah Mejri ended up being the roster casualty.

Such a move isn’t really a big deal from a team standpoint, but rookie star Luka Doncic was a bit disappointed that Mejri, a mentor to him in the NBA, was waived.

Luka Doncic was bummed that Mavs waived Salah Mejri, his good friend and former Real Madrid teammate, to create roster spot for deal with Kings. Doncic: "Probably I wouldn’t be the player that I am now if he wouldn’t [have been] here to help me get through my first days here."

— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) February 9, 2019

Doncic has found parts of the NBA very easy and has made a remarkable transition to the North American game. He seems to credit Mejri for being part of that transition, but the Mavericks clearly feel he’s ready to stand on his own two feet now.