“Completely Turned Off”: Mavericks legend might be done with the team after Luka trade
The Dallas Mavericks have done what seems to be irreparable damage to not only their fanbase, but past legends as well after trading away Luka Doncic.
A show of hands of the Dallas Mavericks fans who hope never to hear the phrase “defense wins championships” ever again?
Mavericks manager Nico Harrison seems to be the only person on the planet that thinks trading away a generational superstar with that sole excuse was a good idea. But that one person unfortunately had all the power to make the worst trade ever, landing Luka Doncic in Los Angeles in return for Anthony Davis in Dallas, resulting in an uproar from the fanbase and legends alike.
Dirk Nowitzki may never forgive the Mavs for Luka trade
Harrison made matters even worse when he answered questions in a closed-door media session on Tuesday, beating the dead horse that is his cursed phrase about defense and championships and shouting that he has #noregrets.
.@espn_macmahon reacts to Nico Harrison's invite-only meeting on the Luka trade 👀
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 16, 2025
“If the point was to soothe the feelings of an outraged fanbase, this was an epic failure.” 😳
(via @SportsCenter) pic.twitter.com/zlx5uhRHmQ
Since the trade, Harrison has tripled down on his decision and insisted he’s right, despite the Mavericks falling to the 10th seed and the Play-In, while Luka’s Lakers soared to No. 3 in the West by the end of the regular season.
Fans have not been taking it well, even two months later. But it’s not just the fans who are upset. According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, Mavs legend and former face of the franchise, Dirk Nowitzki, is not happy with the team now either.
“First of all, Dirk is completely turned off by this franchise,” MacMahon said during an appearance on the Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective podcast. “I asked, ‘Hey, why not seek Dirk’s input? Why not seek [Mark] Cuban’s input? He basically said, ‘If they’re not in the building, they don’t know what’s going on.’”
When people ask how a lifelong fan can just walk away from their team, I'll point to this exact quote.
— Jason Gallagher (@jga41agher) April 15, 2025
Nico doesn't consider the fanbase or Dirk Nowitzki to be a part of the Dallas Mavericks. That's actually insane. https://t.co/VFormm3brl
“Stay tuned for the reason Dirk’s not in the building and the reason Cuban’s not in the building. Because Nico made sure he got his butt kicked out of basketball operations once that trade went through,” MacMahon said.
On top of pissing off the fans, causing drops in social media following, viewership, and game attendance, Harrison has now managed to upset the most legendary player in Mavericks history, which is honestly just as unforgivable as the trade itself.
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