The blockbuster Luka Doncic trade to the Los Angeles Lakers shook the sports world, but no one was more stunned than Mavericks fans. Carlo Pamintuan, with his Dallas heart, tries to make sense of the development.
My phone would not stop buzzing during my post Royal Rumble nap. I tried my best not to mind it because I knew if I looked at my phone, it’d be difficult to fall back to sleep.
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However, ultimately, I gave in to the temptation.
“Who trades LUKA???” the first message read. And for a moment I was stuck in that weird stage where you don’t know if you’re awake or still dreaming.
I started out as a Dallas Mavericks fan because of Jason Kidd. I cut my hair as short as his but my parents would not allow me to get the shaved line to match his.
I was tough to see him leave Dallas and I admit my interest waned in the next few years. However, the era of Michael Finley, Steve Nash, and Dirk Nowitzki soon followed soon and I was hooked again.
My poor Dallas heart broke a second time when the Mavericks decided to let Steve Nash walk for Phoenix, but as long as they had Dirk, it felt like everything still made sense.
With Dirk, Dallas had a constant. A standup guy who was never swayed by the glitz and glamor of other bigger NBA cities. Dirk was our guy until the end.
Luckily for us, an heir apparent came along as the Atlanta Hawks were basically conned into giving up a Slovenian kid name Luka Doncic for Trae Young.
It was surreal to see Dirk share the floor with Luka. Imagine if the Robert Jaworksi era coincided with the arrival of Mark Caguioa. It was more like Alvin Patrimonio and James Yap as they actually played together. One legend departs but turns over the keys of the kingdom to an equally-able player.
Usually, when an All-Time Great retires, there will be a huge dip in interest for the team. It happened when Michael Jordan left Chicago. It happened again after Kobe Bryant’s 60.
The Mavs did not have to go through that kind of transition period because we all knew Luke was special from the start.
Unfortunately, the new ownership and management didn’t feel the same. Mavs General Manager Nico Harrison was grasping for straws. Worried about Luka’s conditioning. Avoiding a tumultuous summer. Defense wins championships.
Blah blah blah.
At the end of the day though, one reason rose above the rest. Doncic was eligible for an incredible $345 million super-max deal next year and Dallas was apparently not interested in spending that kind of money.
Harrison said other teams were loading up on cap space to make a run for Doncic in free agency, but how does that make sense when they were literally the only team who could offer that much money? Everyone else could only offer $100 million less.
Conditioning? Defense? Sure.
Luka does not have the athletic ability and dedication of a LeBron James. But who does? You know also lives his life during the offseason? Nikola Jokic. His weight can balloon as well but he always figured things out. When Jokic kept everything under control, he won a championship with Denver, when he was 27. Joker is also a three-time MVP, with a fourth probably on the way.
Yet, the Mavericks chose to let go of a 25-year-old superstar, with multiple MVPs also likely in his future.
Don’t get me wrong. Harrison was a tremendous GM before this move. The gambit on Kyrie Irving? Spectacular. Trading for PJ Washington and Daniel? Amazing. Drafting Derrick Lively? On point.
But for Mavs fans and maybe the rest of the NBA, all those moves were to build around Doncic because everyone knew Luka was the main piece. He was the draw and the player who will stay in Dallas his entire career.
The template of Nowitzki was followed. Shawn Marion, Brendan Hayrood, Tyson Chandler. No on asked Dirk to be a top defensive player. They simply surrounded him with top-level defenders so he can focus on what he does best: score.
The currency of any sports fandom is hope. With Luka, Dallas had that.
A championship will never be a guarantee. But coming off an NBA Finals stint with a lineup that a handful of mid-season acquisitions, one could hope that the Mavs catch lightning in a bottle once in the next ten years.
With this shocker of a move, Luka’s Mavs never even had the chance to at least fight for a rebanse.
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You will not hear any Anthony Davis slander from me. He’s a tremendous two-way player who will make a quick and definite impact for the remainder of the season. You will not hear me saying Dallas could have gotten more first round picks from someone else.
What this Doncic trade signifies for Dallas fans is that the team we’ve supported for so long, isn’t the same anymore. And as tough as it is to see Doncic cook for the Lakers, not having the same affinity with Dallas will hurt even more.