Since the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, the franchise has dealt with severe ramifications for the head-scratching move both on and off the court.
On the court, the injury-riddled Mavericks have struggled, and cling to the 10th seed in the Western Conference. Just one season after Doncic led them to the NBA Finals, the Mavericks have been decimated by injuries this season, including an ACL tear to Kyrie Irving and an adductor injury to Anthony Davis, who they acquired in the trade for Doncic. Meanwhile, the Lakers currently rank third in the Western Conference with Doncic on the team.
Off the court, Mavericks fans have been furious that their team decided to trade a generational superstar and the face of the franchise. They've chanted to fire general manager Nico Harrison, and protested the trade outside American Airlines Center.
Along with the outrage from fans, the Mavericks will pay a steep toll financially for their decision to trade Doncic. According to Tim MacMahon of ESPN, team sources have said that trading Doncic will likely cost the team nine figures—hundreds of millions of dollars—over the next few years. This season, the Mavericks are expected to lose millions "due to dwindling crowds, plummeting merchandise sales and sponsors severing ties with the franchise in the wake of the trade," per MacMahon. Numerous fans have canceled their season tickets, and the Mavericks appear no closer to making amends with the fan base they have so deeply hurt this season.
In their attempt to save big bucks and avoid signing Doncic to a super-max contract this offseason, the Mavericks now could be losing hundreds of millions of dollars thanks to their decision to ship him away.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mavericks Trading Luka Doncic Could Reportedly Cost Franchise Nine Figures.
