No one saw the Luka Doncic trade coming, especially Dallas Mavericks fans.
The NBA world was shocked days before the trade deadline when it leaked, late on a Saturday night, the Mavs were sending Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis. The 25-year-old, who was acquired by Dallas in a draft-night trade in 2018, had led his team to the NBA Finals and won a scoring title last season. He was again in the thick of the MVP race, hailed as the heir apparent to Dirk Nowitzki and had already pushed his way into the top-10 in franchise history in points, rebounds, assists, 3-point field goals and more.
Doncic was also under contract for one more season with a player option for the 2026-27 season and hadn't appeared in any trade rumors anywhere. All that is to say that this deal literally came out of nowhere.
Mavs GM Nico Harrison used poor defense and a lack of conditioning as rationales for the trade and was met, regrettably, by death threats from Mavs fans. Those were the most extreme reactions but every Mavs fan spent at least some time this week grieving what could have been — some literally.
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Dallas Mavericks fans held a mock funeral for Luka Doncic
At a fan protest outside the arena for Sunday's home matchup against the Houston Rockets, the occasion of Davis' debut, fans showed exactly how heartbroken they are.
Dallas Mavericks fans brought out the casket and are having a funeral, taking a knee in prayer for their loss of Luka Doncic pic.twitter.com/8FxURD5FvT
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) February 8, 2025
Mavs fans were treated to two decades of mutual loyalty between Dirk Nowitzki and the team. Perhaps more than any other fanbase in the NBA, they were uniquely primed to receive the trade of a beloved star player as an existential crisis. Rivalries aside, the rest of the NBA feels for them. It's every fan's nightmare and watching anyone else go through it is rough.
In an extremely small silver lining, the Mavs pushed out to a 17-point halftime lead over the Rockets as this mock funeral was being held. Anthony Davis made a statement with 24 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks — in the first half.