Dirk Nowitzki is not holding back. Following the firing of Mavericks GM Nico Harrison, the Mavs legend took a moment to share his thoughts on the trade that sent Luka Doncic to Los Angeles and what it meant for the city of Dallas.
“Well, I think there’s just too many distractions, too much going on to keep going this way,” said Nowitzki on Prime. “This move should have probably happened this summer honestly. I didn’t want this negative energy and this black cloud over the Cooper Flagg era, but here we are now.”
Nowitzki went on to express sympathy for the fan base and admitted that the entire situation had been mishandled from the beginning.
“I just knew … I figured this fan base is passionate and loyal. I was lucky enough to experience it for 21 years. And I knew they weren’t going to just get over it, as people say, or forget about it. They’re extremely passionate.”
According to Dirk, the biggest issue was the lack of transparency. He said the front office never properly explained the decision to trade Luka, and the result left fans feeling robbed.
“This trade just made no sense. It made no sense to the fans. And, really, there was no explanation for it, either. You go to the NBA Finals the year before… It was very sad. It was very sad how that ended and the fans feel like they got robbed of actually seeing the end, seeing this through, seeing Luka develop into a hopefully a champion one day and it feels like they never got to see the end to this. So this was very heartbreaking.”
Firing Nico was an admission of error for the Mavericks, who are now feeling regret over the trade that altered the trajectory of the franchise. At 3-9 this season, Anthony Davis has hardly played while Doncic is having one of his best seasons yet for the Lakers, with averages of 34.9 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 8.9 assists per game on 47.6 percent shooting.
He had dreams of leading the Mavericks to glory, and the fans were fully locked in on that vision. But neither Doncic nor the fans got a chance to see it through.
For Dirk, NBA champion and Hall of Famer, who has been watching it all unfold like the rest of us, the ordeal has been tough to witness. He is close to Luka, and he wanted him to take up his mantle as the face of Mavericks basketball.
Despite being a respected franchise legend, the Mavs never sought his advice on the trade, and it is a decision they will have to live with forever.
Much to the misery of Mavericks fans, there is no going back on the deal now. Months after leading Dallas to the Finals, Luka was unceremoniously exiled and he will never be back. Clearly, Dirk feels it was a major mistake.
The worst part is that it didn’t have to be this way. The Mavericks had a chance to build something special with Luka and they let it slip right through their hands. Now, they’re left trying to clean up the mess with a player who doesn’t even want to be there. Dirk said what the fans have been feeling for months, and it speaks volumes that even he couldn’t stay silent anymore. This was more than a trade. It was the end of an era, and it might be years before Dallas gets another shot at greatness.
