The Dallas Mavericks are on the hot seat right now after trading away their franchise superstar, Luka Doncic, this past February. It was an unexpected move by the Mavericks, and it has completely decimated their relationship with Hall of Fame big man Dirk Nowitzki.
“First of all, Dirk is completely turned off by this franchise,” said Tim MacMahon on the Hoop Collective. “I’ll have more on that situation coming out once they’re eliminated, probably Thursday morning. I asked, ‘Hey, why not seek Dirk’s input? Why not seek [Mark] Cuban’s input? He said, ‘If they’re not in the building, they don’t know what’s going on.’ 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.”
Like most Mavericks fans, Dirk still remembers where he was on the night that Luka Doncic became a Laker. He was in disbelief after seeing the news and texted Luka almost right away. Doncic replied a day later with an emotional message, and Dirk decided to show his support by attending Luka’s Lakers debut. That day, he made it known where he stood on the Mavericks’ decision to give up on No. 77, and it carried a lot of weight coming from him.
Dirk Nowitzki is a basketball legend in Dallas, and he was the face of the Mavericks franchise for two decades. Over 21 years in the NBA, Dirk averaged 20.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game on 47.1% shooting. He’s a 1x champion, 14x All-Star, and 12x All-NBA player.
By the time he retired in 2019, Dirk was revered as a hero for the Mavericks, and they consistently sought out his advice on all matters regarding team building and culture setting. When Luka Doncic was drafted and rose to stardom in Dallas, he developed a close bond with Dirk through their shared experience as European superstars on the same team.
So when the Mavericks traded Luka this past season with no warning, Dirk took it as a personal betrayal. He had mentored Doncic for years and was helping him take up his mantle as the next great Mavericks legend. GM Nico Harrison had other plans, however, and once Mark Cuban sold his majority stake in the team, he was free to carry out his vision with no restrictions.
He did not consult Dirk at all on the trade, nor did he give any thought to how the fans would react. Through several weeks of backdoor negotiations with the Lakers, Nico Harrison managed to keep the deal a secret until the very last minute, and it’s been a disaster ever since.
Today, the Mavericks are 10th in the West and on the verge of elimination if they lose tonight in the play-in tournament. Anthony Davis has been good for them so far, but he’s not Luka Doncic, and he has yet to lead any team to the NBA Finals without LeBron James at his side.
To this day, the Mavericks are still defending the trade, and they keep finding new reasons to justify a deal that has cost so much for the organization. More than their franchise player and the goodwill of the fans, trading Doncic has also cost them their connection with Dirk Nowitzki – their beloved Hall of Fame superstar and the only guy who ever led the Mavericks to a championship.
