The Dallas Mavericks sent seismic waves throughout the NBA landscape when they traded five-time All-Star Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in a three-team blockbuster that also sent superstar big man Anthony Davis to Dallas early Sunday morning. So shocking was the trade that fans initially believed NBA Insider Shams Charania's phone had been hacked, and even the likes of Doncic and Davis, as well as Lakers superstar LeBron James, were said to be taken aback.
But Dallas's stunning about-face with its franchise player may have hit those closest to home harder than anyone. Mavericks fans, shocked and hurt by the trade, came out in droves to protest the deal outside of American Airlines Arena before Sunday's hockey game between the Dallas Stars and Columbus Blue Jackets.
Several fans, dressed in all black, carried a coffin in a mock funeral for the Mavericks, as one fan could be seen carrying a sign, which blasted the deal as the "Worst Trade in NBA History."
Three dudes brought a coffin to American Airlines Center. They’re playing “See You Again.”
— Shawn McFarland (@McFarland_Shawn) February 2, 2025
“Rest in peace to the Mavs.” pic.twitter.com/0Ndv26vGyb
Signs, flowers, words of appreciation for Doncic and memorabilia were all placed outside the arena in the lead-up to the Stars-Blue Jackets game, all of which were later removed by arena staff on Monday morning.
FOX4 Dallas-Fort Worth also gave Mavericks fans a chance to let their voices be heard in interviews outside the stadium. To say these fans were distraught by the Doncic trade would be an understatement.
Mavericks fans are understandably crashing out
— Synthetic Sports (@SyntheticSports) February 2, 2025
Via @FOX4 pic.twitter.com/dz4fw6k159
One fan, calling the trade the "worst moment in the history of my life", cited Doncic and the Mavs' run to the NBA Finals last summer, then lamented the fact that Doncic, on an early career trajectory that has him in the company of some of the game's greatest players, likely would have earned the right to have a statue outside of the arena one day.
But even more so than his stellar play on the court, Doncic was beloved by the city of Dallas, which in 2021 declared July 6 "Luka Doncic Day", and almost universally loved by Mavs fans.
And the feeling was mutual, as Doncic penned a heartfelt farewell to Mavs fans on Sunday.
Dallas is a special place, and Mavs fans are special fans," Doncic wrote in the statement. "Thank you from the bottom of my heart."
It's safe to say that the emotional scars Mavs fans are feeling in the aftermath of the stunning trade won't soon heal.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mavericks Fans Angrily Protested Luka Doncic Trade Outside of Arena.
