Some fans are taking leave of the Dallas Mavericks
By now, we all know that the Luka Doncic trade to the Los Angeles Lakers is one of the worst trades in sports history. It’s so shocking, that it crossed into all other elements of life to the point that it was in the Grammys, Bill Gates commented on it, and even Duolingo dunked on Dallas for the sheer ridiculousness of the trade. There are so many angles to consider as those of us Mavs fans who are remaining with the team that I’m going to break it down into parts.
What removing hope from a fanbase looks like
I’m a happily married 45-year-old father of four who has grown up in the Dallas area and watched this team my entire life. All four kids are under 10. That’s important to note because Dallas Mavericks are a major part of my virtually non-existent social life. I wake up every morning and listen to a Mavs podcast or two or three. You may know exactly what I mean.
Going through the Dirk years was great as a fan. He was the definition of a loyal, hard-working, team player, a team-first attitude. He wasn’t great when he entered the league, but he was great by the time he left. He didn’t garner respect until around year 7-8. In the NBA one player is 20% of your starting lineup. It’s a league now, that is virtually run by the will of the players(i.e. Jimmy Butler), where when they want to move on, they can force a trade. This was not the case.
My point is that the Dallas Mavericks have never been in the “club” of elite, young, talented players like they were with Luka. Dirk was let into the club, but by the time he got a seat, he was in his 30’s. Luka, on the other hand, is a young, top 3 talent who has and would have continued to draw interest in free agency from other great players and great role players. Look at what he did for Derrick Jones Jr. Not only did DJJ have career numbers in Dallas while reaching the NBA finals as a major contributor, but he also got a career payday because of Luka. Other NBA players see that and know what playing alongside a player like Luka could do for their career. All that is gone, and now we watch the Lakers reap all of the benefits.
When I first described this trade to a friend of mine, I told him, “It feels like I just broke up with my girlfriend who I’m still deeply in love with. Now I have to watch her with the other guy who has a nice car and a nice boat.” I’d add to that and say that it feels like my stupid parents made us break up for no apparent reason. We’ll never recover from this. EVER. What HOPE lost looks like to me is a team that I’ve been extremely loyal to for years, and now I can’t trust that they won’t do this again. Why get invested when you don’t trust the ownership? Never thought Id say this, but I miss Mark Cuban.
Value lost forever
I tried to explain this to my 9-year-old (who could have done a better job with team building than our good friend Nico). I said it’s like taking your BB gun and trading it for one Lego. A good Lego, but not another BB gun. I don’t want to insult AD, that not what this is. AD is a great player in his own right. He forced his way out of NO and is an incredible player outside of his injury history. On the other hand, I and most people who have watched Luka play understand he is built differently. Not only is he a 5-time 1st team ALL NBA selection at 25 years old, he’s also a EuroLeague Champion and MVP before he got here. He’s been a professional since he was 14! He was top 10 in steals last year for most of the season, he’s led his team to two Western Conference Finals, and fresh off of an NBA Finals last year where he led the LEAGUE in scoring.
I could pull up 10 trades that yielded three 1-st rounders, and a couple like Rudy freaking Gobert who pulled 4 1st rounders. Remember what Luka did to Rudy Gobert last year? We got ONE. Even if we got six first-rounders, it’s so hard find the one player that wants the ball in his hands when it matters and can deliver when it matters. Those players are so few and far between.
Of course, he had his negatives, but when Luka played with a smile, he just had a way of taking you back to that place in my own childhood when sports was just fun. Watching him make crazy stupid shots before games was so much fun. He is a kid at heart, he loved Dallas, he loved Texas, and he loved winning. We aren’t getting that back.
The Nico Harrison Issues
This whole trade is possibly my fault. In the same way it’s my fault it rains the day I decide to wash my car. The week leading up to this deadline I said, “I don’t really care what Nico does this year. I hope he doesn’t do anything. I think the current roster constructed is a true Championship contender for a long time, but whatever he does, I’ll trust him. He’s pulled off some amazing stuff.” I wasn’t wrong in saying that! He landed Kyrie (who I was also TERRIBLY wrong about), he got Gafford, PJ, and Lively here and boom, we were legit. We had established our foundation. It’s amazing how one translation can ruin that forever.
There are a TON of conspiracies out there about this trade. Those are the only things that make sense. I’ll tell you what doesn’t make sense:
Nico said that he doesn’t “have” to talk to head coach Jason Kidd about these sorts of things. Why would he say that? As if that was a chore to talk to Kidd about the ingredients of the team they both represent? Obviously, Nico would have the final say, but I’d think he’d want to have the conversation. I just don’t believe that Nico didn’t discuss this with Kidd first. I also don’t believe he wouldn’t run this past ownership.
The international impact of Luka is insane, not only to the Mavericks but to the City of Dallas and the state of Texas. I understand how wealthy the new ownership is, but usually with wealth and power comes keen tactics. They had to know, and there has to be a reason behind it. That’s the mystery.
Here’s the arguments Nico Harrison used to justify the trade:
● Luka’s fitness. It’s hard to argue this. Luka has gained weight since entering the league. He’s also improved his game almost every year. When I was growing up I played soccer and occasionally I’d score a weird or fluky type goal and my dad would say, “they don’t ask how, they ask how many”. My point is, I don’t care how Luka looks if he’s improving his game, and taking the team further each year. As the leader of the organization, Nico should have taken a different path. Look at Nikola Jokic. Does anyone remember what happened when he decided to take his fitness seriously? He lost some weight and got into great cardo shape one summer and then he won three MVP’s and a championship. He’s the most comparable asset to Luka. The formula was there if only Nico had approached it differently.
● Luka’s drinking. I don’t care if Luka is drunk during games if he is playing the way he’s played. Still, if you need to, get him some help? Don’t just discard him like he’s an undrafted free agent. This cannot be the cause. If anything, Harrison quietly oversold this issue for whatever reason.
● Luka wants out of Dallas. He just signed on a 15-million-dollar house in Dallas. People who want to leave don’t do that. Period. But even if. How about you stick in the pocket Nico? Stand your ground and use marketing to rally the community to make possible the greatest athlete this city has ever seen. I’d have a lot more respect for Nico had he done that. Dallas would have rallied. We would have shown up.
● Furthermore. Luka is a new father. That’s forced maturity. Been there done that. Anyone who is planting roots and entering into fatherhood has no choice but to give up some vices and superfluities that don’t belong in your life with new babies. I believe Luka would have matured.
● Complaining to Refs. Ok, this one did bother me. I can’t stand it when Luka complains to the referee. I’ll take this one back to my metaphor of the girlfriend. The hotter a woman is, in theory, the more a man will put up with. Luka is the hot girlfriend here and he has a long leash. He plays with passion and joy. The passion is going to come out. As he matures, this should get better. Maybe it doesn’t. I’ll live with it at the end of the day.
Luka is a dog
Plain and simple. It’s tough to compare players, but in the same way that Michael Jordan wanted to take the last shot, so does Luka. Not only that, but he thrives when people talk trash to him. Ask Devin Booker, ask Rudy Gobert, ask the Clippers, ask the Utah Jazz. Luka is going to crush Dallas from now on. The same way Randy Moss ended the Cowboys for not drafting him when they could have.
I’ll love every minute of it (thats a weird thing for me to say). My fandom is so different now. If you think for a minute that Luka isn’t going to take this personally, you have lost your mind, or you haven’t watched him play enough.
Luka Doncic is a professional
The guy has been a professional since he was 14. Let that sink in for just a minute. 2 years before he was driving, he was a professional athlete. He has excelled and dominated at every stop of his career. What evidence do you see that he is done? That’s basically what the Mavericks are betting. They were too obtuse to consider that they just created their own worst enemy. That is the cold shower the Mavericks are in right now. I know Luka’s mentality, and he will die trying to make Dallas pay for their iniquities. Dallas has helped create his origin story and he’s about to be unchained. Yikes!
Championship talk
Hopefully, I’m wrong on this and I can somehow go back to being the fan I once was before this Luka tragedy. As it stands now, the Mavericks can win a championship this year and I still will in no way be satisfied. Winning a championship this season and losing 10 years of hope in the process doesn’t balance the scales. I don’t think the Lakers will compete for a championship this year. They did bring in a big man this year that makes them better, but give them two more offseasons and they’ll be set for a while. My hope is gone, my girlfriend is with a better looking dude and moving on with her life while I’m stuck here in my room staring at a wall. Thank you Nico Harrison for ruining this team and my fandom all in one fail swoop.
We’re still here. Most of us at least. This won’t be easy, of course, but the only way out of some things is through them. I am a Dallas Mavericks Fan for Life, but they’ve made it really hard right now. Hopefully, we’ll be able to laugh about this one day, but it won’t be anytime soon. Until then, we persevere.
Matt Blackwell is a Waco-based Mavs fan