Dallas — More than three months have passed since Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison stunned the league by shipping franchise cornerstone Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in a three-team February 2 deal. The emotion in North Texas hasn’t cooled, but Harrison’s stance hasn’t budged.
“There’s no regrets on the trade,” Harrison repeated in mid-April, stressing that his job is to “do the best thing for the Mavericks … some decisions are going to be unpopular.”
Why Harrison Pulled the Trigger
The February 2025 trade that sent Luka Dončić to Los Angeles was a franchise-altering decision fueled by the Mavericks’ desire to change course. Harrison arranged a three-team deal with the Lakers and Jazz.
The Lakers received Dončić, along with Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris. Dallas got Anthony Davis, young guard Max Christie, and a future first-round pick. The Jazz agreed to take on a contract and received two second-round picks in return.
Sending away a 25-year-old star right after a deep playoff run was almost unheard of. In Dallas, Dončić averaged about 28.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game, earned five All-Star and All-NBA selections by age 25, and was seen as the next Dirk Nowitzki and the franchise’s future cornerstone.
Harrison wanted to give the Mavericks a new identity. He believes that “defense wins championships,” so he saw Anthony Davis, a top defender, as the perfect centerpiece. In his view, adding an All-Defensive big man and another All-NBA talent with a defensive mindset would boost the team, make fans score quick funds for Texas game nights, and raise his and the team’s popularity now and in the future. His goal was to help the Mavericks earn more, build a stronger squad, and keep fans cheering.
Harrison shared with ESPN that acquiring Davis, a proven All-Defensive center and All-NBA talent, would bolster Dallas’s chances immediately and long-term. That’s how he explained the motivation to deal Dončić for Davis. In Harrison’s view, the Mavericks had become too dependent on Dončić’s singular offensive brilliance.
Immediate Fallout on the Court
Nothing about the first six weeks went according to plan. Davis strained a groin in his Mavericks debut and missed 19 games. Kyrie Irving’s season-ending foot injury left Dallas without either star for much of March. The club tumbled to a 7-15 record from March 1 onward and finished 39-43—good only for the 10-seed and a quick exit in the play-in tournament.
Across the street in L.A., Dončić thrived. He averaged 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 7.7 assists while lifting the Lakers to the West’s No. 3 seed and a 52-30 mark. Since February 2025, Luka Doncic’s statistical impact on the Lakers’ offense has been clear — their pick-and-roll efficiency soared to 1.18 points per possession, up from 0.92, ranking second league-wide.
When the Lakers returned to Dallas on April 8, Dončić dropped a season-high-tying 45 points in a 112-97 win as fans chanted his name through tears; Davis managed 13 points and 11 boards.
The Fury of Mavericks Fans Turned Into Wide Boycott
Off the court, the reaction in Dallas was immediate and intense. Mavericks fans, who for years had embraced Luka Dončić as the face of the franchise, responded to the trade with shock, anger, and even grief. Hours after the deal became official, hundreds of distraught fans gathered at the American Airlines Center to call for the general manager to be fired.
They held what can only be described as a mock funeral for the Mavericks’ championship hopes. Fans brought a blue velvet casket emblazoned with the Mavericks logo, lit candles, and even played Wiz Khalifa “See You Again” as a dirge. Some mourners wore black. “It’s the death of our culture,” declared one of the fans.
The protests continued. Outside the arena before the first post-trade home game, crowds of fans chanted slogans like “Nico has to go!” imploring the firing of GM Nico Harrison. They waved signs reading “LUKA WAS DALLAS”, “Why?!” and “Bring Luka Back.” Many supporters agreed that swapping Dončić for a 31-year-old Anthony Davis wasn’t worth it.
How Did Luka Doncic Impact Team’s Economics?
Fan displeasure didn’t stop at chants and signs. The Mavericks experienced a notable dip in attendance and engagement. Before the trade, Mavericks games were always sold out. Afterward, some seats stayed empty. Season-ticket holders who felt let down sold their passes or stopped coming.
The business around AAC, after the departure of Luka Doncic, also suffered a fiasco. The usual buzz of fans gathering to eat, drink, and cheer vanished. Even ticket resellers felt the change. Some season-ticket holders tried to sell big games, such as Dončić’s first return to Dallas, to recover money. But overall demand fell, and secondary-market prices dropped about 40%.
The Mavericks then announced an 8.6% increase in season ticket prices for the next season. Fans were furious about losing Luka and now being asked to pay more for a team with a worse record. Moreover, the team’s official social media accounts lost roughly 700,000 followers in the days after the trade. Dallas merchandise sales reportedly declined as well.
The strain reached franchise icons: ESPN’s Tim MacMahon noted tension between Dirk Nowitzki and team brass after the deal, with Dirk quietly skipping several home dates in protest.
Harrison’s “No Regrets” After Dallas Mavericks Protest
Harrison stayed firm despite the criticism. In mid-April, near the season’s end, he met privately with select media and clarified his stance. “There are no regrets on the trade,” he said, adding that his first duty is best for the team. He admitted the deal hurt fans but asked them to trust the long-term plan.
Still, many didn’t like it. Instead of showing understanding, team officials often sounded defensive. Leaked interviews even had unnamed sources criticizing Dončić’s weight, defense, and leadership. When reporters asked Harrison to justify the trade, he kept saying they needed better defense, and Luka didn’t fit that plan.
The longer-term impacts of the trade remain to be seen. If Dallas doesn’t make a serious championship push in the next year or two, it’ll mean they sacrificed their future for nothing.
Still, the gap between front-office conviction and public fury looms large. If Dallas doesn’t contend quickly, the Luka deal will be judged harshly—no matter how many times Harrison says he has “no regrets.”
