It’s been a little over a month since arguably the biggest trade in NBA history, as the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. And now, Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont offered up an alternative explanation behind the decision. Speaking during a conference in Texas, Dumont noted that the Mavericks needed to improve in the short and long term, and the Doncic trade allowed them to do that.
“Tough decisions are never easy. Part of leadership is looking at risk, all the factors in a decision, being willing to act at that time, and look to the long term, not only thinking about the short term and how it may be received immediately. Think about the long-term benefits and what it may allow you to achieve if given all the right considerations…”
“We had to decide how to get better. What can we do to improve our team? We looked at our trajectory during the season and realized that we did not get better… This was a decision about the future. If you look at our roster today and who we have, we feel like we positioned ourselves to be incredibly competitive against the best teams in the NBA.”
“If you’re a fan of basketball, you have Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington, Anthony Davis, and either Daniel Gafford or Dereck Lively as your starting five. That’s going to put fear into a lot of teams if we can get going.”
Dumont’s words will do little to appease the frustrated Mavericks fanbase, who were furious about the decision to trade their franchise superstar, especially for such a low price. Things have gotten so heated in Dallas that the mastermind behind the trade, Mavericks GM Nico Harrison, was seen hiding in a tunnel while watching a game recently.
Harrison isn’t just being subjected to scorn and mockery at home games. When the Mavericks played the Lakers at the Crypto.com Arena, Lakers fans mockingly chanted ‘Thank You’ at him, as he basically gifted them a franchise star who can carry their team for the next decade.
Recently, San Antonio Spurs fans also booed Harrison, which just goes to show how unpopular the decision was, as even rival fans disagree with the trade. It was a controversial move, given the talent involved. On top of that, the consequences of the trade have only led to more outrage toward Nico Harrison.
Since the trade, the Mavericks have undergone somewhat of an injury crisis, as several of their players have suffered massive injuries. Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II, and Kyrie Irving all suffered long-term injuries since the trade, with Irving tearing his ACL, causing him to miss this season and a large portion of the next season as well.
The Mavericks currently only have seven players available, just showing how much their team is struggling at the moment. And given that this impacts not just this season but also future seasons to come, you can understand why fans are so frustrated.
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