Throughout his return to Dallas, fans at the American Airlines center made it known that they still love Luka Dončić and haven’t forgiven the team — specifically Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison — for trading him to the Los Angeles Lakers. Doris Burke, calling the game for ESPN, explained the continued frustration of the fans.
While Dončić’s first game back was always going to be emotional, his first-half performance only exacerbated everyone’s feelings. Dončić scored 31 first-half points, making six three-pointers. He added three rebounds, three assists and three steals. “Fire Nico” chants were audible throughout the game. Late in the second quarter, ESPN’s announcers addressed the ongoing frustration.
“Doris, the more he scores, you get the Mavs fans a little less than cheering,” Mike Breen said. “And now they’re starting the anti-front office chants against. They’ve been chanting ‘Fire Nico’ throughout much of the first half.”
“It’s a fanbase that feels cheated,” Burke replied. “He expected — and I think he feels like he was stabbed in the back because of the way it was done. There wasn’t a word. It is so atypical in the modern NBA to have a trade that doesn’t leak out early. And you can feel it in this arena, the love they’ve got for this guy.”
“It’s a fanbase that feels cheated. He expected and I think he feels like was stabbed in the back because of the way it was done…You can feel it in this arena, the love they’ve got for this guy.”
Doris Burke on Luka Dončić as Mavericks fans chant “FIRE NICO.” pic.twitter.com/ZAzfpLigsE
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 10, 2025
Burke is correct there. As great as Dončić is, he’s far from the first NBA star to get traded. But nearly all of those trade, particularly the ones made in recent years, usually came with weeks of speculation and warning. When ESPN’s Shams Charania broke the Dončić, people were sure his phone was hacked. Charania himself even thought something might be wrong.
Moments later, as the cameras focused on Harrison, Breen discussed the deal.
“He’s taken a huge risk,” Breen said of Harrison making the trade. “And we don’t know how this long-term is gonna work out. But initially, at least for this year, and you can’t grade a trade until it goes for a few years, this year, it’s been a disaster for the Mavericks.”
“He’s taken a huge risk. And we don’t know how this long-term is gonna work out. But initially, at least for this year…it’s been a disaster for the Mavericks.”
Mike Breen on Nico Harrison and the Luka Dončić trade. pic.twitter.com/pItLnIic7g
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 10, 2025
The problem with this trade is that the Mavericks needed it to pay off big in the short term. In fact, some experts even believed that in the short term, the trade would benefit Dallas more than Los Angeles. That has not happened. Anthony Davis, the top player the Mavericks received in the trade, is 33 and has a long history of injuries. Kyrie Irving, another one of Dallas’ top players, is also 33. So, while Breen is correct, it usually takes a few years to determine who “won” a trade, it’s hard to foresee this trade getting better for the Mavericks.
And if the Mavericks continue to struggle, we only imagine that the frustration of their fans will continue to grow.
