Mavs Rumors: Harrison, Davis, Cuban, Kidd, Flagg, Cisse
Having lost trust in general manager Nico Harrison, Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont decided overnight on Monday that there was no reason to put off a front office change that seemed inevitable, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
[RELATED: Mavericks Dismiss GM Nico Harrison]
In making the decision to fire Harrison on Tuesday, Dumont may appease some fans in Dallas, who have frequently chanted “fire Nico” at home games since last season’s Luka Doncic trade. According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link), several Mavericks players actually preferred to play away from home this fall, since there was far less vitriol related to Harrison on the road. MacMahon makes a similar point, noting that there has been no home court advantage to speak of for the Mavs so far this season.
“These people don’t want us to win,” one player griped, according to a source who spoke to ESPN.
While Harrison’s exit may improve the vibes in Dallas to some extent, there’s still no quick fix for the 3-8 club, which has a significant hole at the point guard spot until Kyrie Irving is able to return from his torn ACL.
“There’s no point guard. You don’t have a floor leader,” an Eastern Conference scout told MacMahon. “That’s the first problem. Then you’re trying to make a guy who isn’t a point guard (Cooper Flagg) a point guard. The coach doesn’t trust the guy you signed this summer (D’Angelo Russell). That’s obvious. They don’t trust him enough to make him the floor leader, and that’s in line with the consensus around the league. They don’t have shooting, and they don’t have creation. Those are things you need to be a good offensive team.”
Russell, who was replaced in the starting lineup by Brandon Williams on Monday, has come off the bench in eight of 11 games so far and is posting career-worst shooting percentages. The Mavericks’ cap situation meant they had limited tools at their disposal this past offseason to upgrade their roster — they used their full taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Russell. Still, there presumably would’ve been more options available to Dallas on the trade market if the team had been willing to move some of its frontcourt depth to address the backcourt.
“Remarkable that Nico did not acquire a good guard this summer so they could win some games,” an Eastern Conference executive said to ESPN. “That was such low-hanging fruit.”
We have more on the Mavs:
- One big question in Dallas now will be whether the team looks to move star big man Anthony Davis. John Hollinger of The Athletic argues that a Davis trade is the best path forward for the club and believes the 32-year-old would still command a haul of draft picks and/or young players, despite his injury history. According to MacMahon, several sources around the NBA agree with Hollinger and believe that the Mavs must at least gauge Davis’ trade value in the coming months. “You have Flagg, but you’re old and you don’t own your picks,” a Western Conference decision-maker told ESPN. “[They have to] be comfortable with taking two steps back if that’s the necessary path. Be patient. They need to lose this year, but I don’t see Dumont being comfortable with taking a step back. It’s not natural as a new owner.”
- Former Mavericks majority owner – and current minority shareholder – Mark Cuban was involved in a meeting on Monday with Dumont and team president Rick Welts before Harrison was let go, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link). MacMahon, meanwhile, hears that Cuban and Dumont have talked more frequently in recent months and that Cuban is the one in favor of targeting former Mavs advisor Dennis Lindsey to replace Harrison. It remains to be seen how open Dumont will be to Cuban’s suggestions, MacMahon adds.
- According to Stein, Dumont is expected to “lean heavily” on head coach Jason Kidd during this transition period. Kidd has signed contract extensions in each of the past two offseasons and is clearly in no danger of following Harrison out the door.
- Despite the 3-8 start, there have been some bright spots in Dallas as of late. As MacMahon writes for ESPN, Flagg had his best all-around game on Monday, with 26 points and nine rebounds, and tied LeBron James as the youngest player in NBA history to score at least 25 points in a game. Additionally, two-way rookie big man Moussa Cisse seems to be finding his footing at the NBA level, having held his own in a rotation role with Davis sidelined, notes Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal. Cisse has averaged 7.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks in 17.7 minutes per game in his past three outings — the Mavs outscored opponents by 18 points in his 53 minutes on the court during that stretch.
Mavs Notes: Harrison, AD, Gafford, Dirk, Cuban, Cisse, More
At 2-7, the Mavericks are in last place in the Western Conference, having lost at home to the 1-8 Wizards and the 2-6 Pelicans, who were on the second end of a back-to-back (and without Zion Williamson). They nearly suffered another home defeat to the 1-7 Pacers.
Dallas currently has the worst offensive rating in the NBA by a significant margin.
The disastrous start has people around the league questioning whether head of basketball operations Nico Harrison could be fired sooner rather than later, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said on the Howdy Partners podcast with Michael C. Wright (YouTube link).
“A legitimate question right now is: Is Nico Harrison’s job in serious jeopardy? That is an absolutely legitimate question,” MacMahon said (hat tip to RealGM). “It’s the question obviously Mavericks fans have been hoping would be answered with an affirmative since early February.
“I don’t have a firm answer for you right now — that’s as much as I can tell you. But it is absolutely a legitimate question. When you talk to people about the Mavericks around the league, it is the first question that people are asking.
“(Harrison) stuck his neck out by making the most unpopular trade in NBA history.”
As MacMahon pointed out, Harrison has come under heavy scrutiny since he shockingly decided to trade franchise player Luka Doncic to the Lakers for a package headlined by Anthony Davis.
With an ill-fitting, injury-plagued roster and Doncic thriving in Los Angeles, Tim Cowlishaw of The Dallas Morning News argues it’s time for governor Patrick Dumont to listen to the fans who have been chanting for Harrison’s dismissal ever since the deal was completed.
Here’s more on the Mavs:
- Star big man Davis has been upgraded to questionable for Saturday’s matchup against Washington after missing the past four contests with a left calf strain, as Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal relays. “He seems in good spirits, and I think he’s doing fine health-wise,” head coach Jason Kidd said Friday. “So we’ll see. But I don’t know about (Saturday).” MacMahon hears Davis has been targeting tonight’s contest for his return to action (Twitter link). Center Daniel Gafford is also questionable after aggravating his right ankle sprain in Friday’s loss in Memphis.
- Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki, now an analyst for Amazon Prime, didn’t mince words about the team’s poor start on Friday, per Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. “I feel bad for my Mavs fans,” Nowitzki said. “This has been a disastrous start. Obviously, there’s a hole at the point guard and play-making position…at shot creating, at shot making. They can’t shoot, they can’t make plays…nobody can make shots. It’s been tough to watch.”
- Longtime majority stakeholder and current minority owner Mark Cuban also weighed in on the team’s struggles during a radio appearance on The Stephen A. Smith Show, according to Townsend. “You know, I’m not thrilled with the composition of the team,” Cuban said. “I think we’re imbalanced. We don’t have enough depth at point guard. We don’t have somebody who’s a creator that gets other people shots or enough of that. And so I didn’t think we were going to crush it and start off 8-0, but I didn’t expect 2-6 (as of Friday).”
- Rookie center Moussa Cisse, who is on a two-way contract, provided a spark off the bench on Friday amid what was an otherwise dispiriting loss at Memphis, Afseth writes for Dallas Hoops Journal. The 23-year-old big man finished with career highs of 10 points (on 4-of-5 shooting) and eight rebounds in 14 minutes — the team was plus-18 during his time on the court in the 14-point loss. “He plays hard — that’s how he plays,” Kidd said. “He’s out there to prove that he belongs. He’s hungry, and that’s what stands out when you watch him play. He plays one way — he plays hard and he plays fast.”
- Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal and Townsend of The Dallas Morning News pass along several more quotes from Friday’s loss to the Grizzlies, who entered the night on a four-game losing streak (Memphis is now 4-6).
Mavericks Notes: Nowitzki, Cuban, Depth, Outlook
Franchise legend Dirk Nowitzki has been serving as a special advisor to the Mavericks since 2021, when then-owner Mark Cuban brought him back to the only NBA team he had ever played for. Since the Mavs’ sale in 2023, though, Nowitzki has seen his influence diminish as new powers rose in the organization.
Recently, he said that the lack of clarity on his role has caused him to take stock of his place with the team and the league as a whole, according to Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal.
“It felt a little weird… not knowing my role,” Nowitzki said during an appearance on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. “So since then, I’ve kind of pulled back again.”
Nowitzki did have a word of advice for the Mavs’ leadership as they look to repair fan trust following the Luka Doncic trade and subsequent drafting of Cooper Flagg with the first overall pick.
“The owner has to show that he’s willing to spend and then make this a great team for the next decade to come,” Nowitzki said. “That’s all there really is to it.”
We have more from the Mavs:
- Nowitzki isn’t the only person who feels his influence slipping with the Mavericks. Cuban recently suggested that his voice no longer felt particularly welcome, as Christian Clark of The Athletic relays. “There were some things that happened internally where the person who traded Luka didn’t want me there,” Cuban said during a panel last weekend, presumably referring to president of basketball operations Nico Harrison. “So, they won. I lost.” Cuban has been on record saying that he believed he would still have some level of decision-making on the basketball side of things even following the team’s sale, but that as the team ascended, he didn’t want to overstep. He now believes that stepping back was a mistake.
- Nowitzki, despite the confusion about his own role, is optimistic about the team moving forward, Afseth writes in a separate article. “I think they did some smart re-signings this summer with [Daniel] Gafford and P.J. [Washington],” he said. “I think they’re deep, they’re doubled on every position… If they’re fully healthy, hopefully by the new year, somewhere in January… they’re a super deep team that can definitely be in the top four in the West.”
- Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News agrees with Nowitzki’s assessment, calling the Southwest “as competitive as any other division in the NBA” while predicting the Mavericks will end up second in the division behind the Rockets, thanks in part to Houston’s acquisition of Kevin Durant.
Cuban Regrets Not Opening Bidding Process During Mavs’ Sale
Former Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban doesn’t regret his decision to sell a large portion of his stake in the team but wishes he’d have opened up the process, he stated during an interview on the DLLS podcast (hat tips to Jasmyn Wimbish of CBSSports.com and Tim Cato of AllDllls.com).
“I don’t regret selling the team, I regret how I did it,” Cuban said. “Would I still sell the team? Yes, for all the same reasons I’ve said 100 times. Would I do it the same way? Absolutely not. I would have put it out to bid, but I didn’t so it doesn’t matter.”
Mavericks are now primarily owned by Miriam Adelson and Patrick Dumont, her son-in-law and the team’s governor.
Dumont’s role as team governor wasn’t in Cuban’s plans. Cuban kept a 27% stake in the Mavericks intentionally, since a part owner needs at least a 15% stake to remain governor of the team. When the sale was made official, there was nothing to indicate Cuban would continue his role in running the team’s basketball operations. He blames the league for losing his governor title.
“I did have it in writing,” Cuban said. “… Like I said before, there was a clause in there that gave me the right to be in every meeting, every trade discussion, everything, and the NBA took that out.”
Commission Adam Silver denied earlier this year that it was a league decision.
“Any decision as to what Mark’s role would be in basketball operations was a function of an arrangement to be made between Mark Cuban and Patrick,” Silver said in March.
But Cuban reiterated during the podcast that the league was to blame.
“Who the hell do you think took it out?” Cuban said. “I’ve got a letter from my lawyer saying the NBA made us remove it.”
However, Cuban says he has a good relationship with Dumont.
“I still talk to (him) a fair amount,” Cuban said. “He does care. And he cares when we lose. He’s spending time to learn. He’s learn a ton in time. Now I can talk to him about analytics. I can talk to him about our roster.”
However, Cuban says he doesn’t stay in contact with general manager Nico Harrison, who made the controversial trade that sent fan favorite and franchise player Luka Doncic to the Lakers. Cuban made it known publicly shortly after the trade occurred that he had no say in the matter and was against the idea of dealing Doncic.
“We all were hurt when Luka got traded — me as much as anyone, because I felt like I let people down by not being there,” Cuban said. “But what’s done is done. And we got Cooper (Flagg) — the basketball gods were looking down on us and he’s the real deal.”
The entire interview with Cuban can be accessed here.
Texas Notes: Irving, Mavericks’ Arena, Spurs’ Arena, Rockets
Appearing on the Mixed Signals podcast (Twitter link), former Mavericks owner Mark Cuban gave credit to an unexpected source for helping to bring Kyrie Irving to the team in a 2023 trade. Cuban said ESPN’s Shams Charania, who was with The Athletic at the time, played an important role in making the deal possible.
“He was a big help with us getting Kyrie when we traded for Kyrie,” Cuban said, “and for us extending him when we extended because he had a great relationship with Kyrie’s agent.”
Teams were reluctant to trade for Irving at the time due to his contract and his troubled reputation in Brooklyn. But he became a star again after coming to Dallas and helped the Mavs reach the 2024 NBA Finals. He’s currently recovering from a torn ACL with hopes of returning at some point this season.
Charania broke the news of Irving’s trade to Dallas, and Cuban stated that they often exchanged valuable information.
“The flip side of it was, he would help educate me about other things happening around the league,” Cuban added. “So, we had a great relationship. He knew when not to ask, and I knew when not to ask about other teams because he wouldn’t tell me. But there were certain things he would tell me as it related to players and what their interests were.”
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- The City of Dallas hired a commercial real estate investment and development company to find a site for the Mavericks to build a new arena, according to Everton Bailey Jr. and Nick Wooten of The Dallas Morning News. The team’s lease at American Airlines Center will expire in 2031, and the new ownership group has expressed interest in a basketball-first facility.
- Spurs managing partner Peter Holt posted a message on NBA.com about a potential $1.3 billion project to build a new arena in downtown San Antonio. The team has pledged to commit $500MM and cover any unforeseen costs, while the city has agreed to provide up to $489MM. City council authorized the project earlier this week, but the final decision will be up to Bexar County voters in November. “This will be a true public-private partnership,” Holt wrote. “The arena will be publicly owned, funded by visitors, and built to revitalize our downtown, create jobs and give future generations a place to celebrate together.”
- The Austin Spurs, San Antonio’s G League affiliate, announced in a press release that they have agreed to a trade with the Iowa Wolves. Austin received the 13th pick in this year’s draft in exchange for the returning player rights of Luke Avdalovic, Justin Smith, a second-round pick in 2026 and a 2026 international draft selection.
- Rockets fans are very optimistic about the upcoming season, with nearly two-thirds expecting at least a spot in the Western Conference Finals, Kelly Iko of The Athletic states in sharing the results of a survey that attracted more than 700 responses. The trade for Kevin Durant drew an almost unanimously positive reaction, with 50.1% cautiously optimistic and 47% extremely excited.
Dallas Prepares To Welcome Back Luka Doncic
The NBA’s most eagerly anticipated homecoming in several years is about to take place as Luka Doncic gets ready for his first game in Dallas since the shocking trade that sent him to the Lakers in early February.
The Mavericks are planning a tribute video highlighting Doncic’s accomplishments during his six and a half years with the team, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Team sources tell MacMahon that the Mavs contacted several companies that Doncic endorses to set up sponsorship deals for the game, but those fell apart when Doncic’s camp refused to provide its support, pointing out that he’s now a Laker.
The teams have gone in sharply different directions since news of the deal first leaked on the weekend before the trade deadline. The addition of Doncic, who’s averaging 27.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game since changing teams, helped L.A. rise into third place in the West at 48-31, while Dallas is holding on to the final play-in spot at 38-41.
“I know it’s been two months or something, but still adapting a little bit,” Doncic said recently. “It was a big change. But it’s getting better.”
The trade also created a lot of ill will among Mavericks fans, and team sources told MacMahon it will probably result in a nine-figure loss in revenue over the next few years. He adds that the franchise is projected to lose “dozens of millions” this season because of smaller crowds, a sharp drop in merchandise sales, and sponsors who decided to end their relationship due to the intense public reaction to the deal.
There’s more on Doncic’s return to Dallas:
- Doncic and his support staff were “stunned” when they learned about the trade and angered by leaks from Mavericks management that he didn’t work hard enough to stay in shape, writes Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. Doncic snapped back at the accusations, which he believes are an attack on his character. “They have no idea,” Doncic said. “… I didn’t end up here by mistake. You know? I worked my ass off to be here. So it’s kinda, I would say disrespectful, just sad that people say that.” Woike adds that people close to the Lakers had been impressed by Doncic’s work ethic since he joined the team, noting that he always attends optional workouts and he was able to get back into shape fairly quickly after missing 22 games with a strained calf.
- After the Mavericks lost in the NBA Finals, general manager Nico Harrison challenged all the players to come back “10% to 15% better,” NBA insider Marc Stein states in a Substack column (subscription required). The message was believed to be aimed at Doncic, and Stein describes Harrison as “seething” when his star player was knocked out of action by the calf strain on Christmas Day. The front office was also upset that Doncic isolated himself after each of his injuries this season and insisted that all rehab work would be conducted by his personal “body team.”
- Former owner Mark Cuban and franchise legend Dirk Nowitzki, who served as a special advisor to Cuban, both lost their influence when the franchise was sold to Miriam Adelson and Patrick Dumont in November 2023, Stein adds. With two of his top supporters gone, rifts eventually developed between Doncic and management over several issues.
- Mavericks coach Jason Kidd put the trade in historic context during a session with reporters before tonight’s game, tweets Christian Clark of The Athletic. “This is a business. Trades happen. This won’t be the last trade,” Kidd said. “Some are comparing it to Babe Ruth, which is kind of cool. But when you look at the business of sports, change happens. When change happens, it’s the ones who carry on and keep moving forward. Those are the special people.”
- Doncic embraced Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington and assistant coach God Shammgod when he came out for pregame warm-ups (Twitter video link from Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News).
Mavericks Notes: Play-In Race, Davis, Powell, Harrison, Cuban
Back-to-back losses to the Clippers pushed the Mavericks down to 10th place in the Western Conference standings. They were blasted in the second of those games, 135-104, on Saturday night.
“The biggest message is we got to stay hungry,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said, per Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal.com (Substack link). “We haven’t achieved anything, even though we’ve been able, with all the injuries and restricted minutes, to keep ourselves in the play-in race. And so, we have to stay hungry.
“We had a big win at home against Atlanta. Unfortunately, we didn’t play up to par here against the Clippers. We have to go back home now, and we have games with the Lakers and Toronto. Hopefully, we can protect home court and we can get a little rhythm going into the play-in.”
Dallas will be fresh for the matchup with the Lakers — they don’t play until Wednesday night.
We have more on the Mavericks:
- One of the positives out of Saturday’s game is that Anthony Davis produced 27 points and nine rebounds, Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com notes. Davis sat out the first matchup with the Clippers on the front end of the back-to-back. “You look at AD at (power forward), you’d say that we’re going to have the advantage on most nights,” Kidd said. “And that’s going to create the double team or if they play straight up we can win that matchup. He’s always wanted to play the four. And the plan is to keep him at the four, but at the end of the day, you want your best five out there to win the game so sometimes that might mean he slides over to the five (center). He’s a special talent because he can guard one through five. So I believe that him at the four defensively and offensively gives us an advantage to win.”
- With the team getting some key pieces back in recent weeks, Dwight Powell is eager to see how well former Lakers Davis and Max Christie blend with their new teammates, he told Afseth in an RG.org interview. “Competitors. They’re here for the right reasons, and they want to help us be successful,” Powell said. “That’s all you can ask for in this league. So I’m excited to get everybody kind of get the chemistry going, and I think we’ve seen glimpses and I think we’ll continue to see more. Just excited for everybody to continue to grow together.”
- In his latest Substack article, Marc Stein describes how the Luka Doncic trade was crafted and examines its aftermath. Stein details how general manager Nico Harrison gained so much power in the front office and why Mark Cuban’s influence on personnel decisions waned.
Mark Cuban On Luka Doncic Trade: “Get A Better Deal”
In an exclusive interview with WFFA’s Jonah Javad on Thursday evening (YouTube link), former Mavericks majority owner — and current minority stakeholder — Mark Cuban broke his silence about the shocking decision to trade Luka Doncic to the Lakers.
The full deal saw the Mavericks send Doncic, Markieff Morris and Maxi Kleber to the Lakers, with the Mavericks acquiring Anthony Davis, Max Christie and the Lakers’ 2029 first-round pick. Utah was also involved, receiving a couple of second-round picks (one from L.A., one from Dallas) for taking on the salary of Jalen Hood-Schifino, who was later waived (he is now on a two-way deal with Philadelphia).
Was Cuban upset about the trade?
“Yeah, of course. … If the Mavs are going to trade Luka, that’s one thing. Just get a better deal. … I still firmly believe if we had gotten four unprotected number ones and Anthony Davis and Max Christie, this would be a different conversation.”
Would he have made the trade?
“I’m not going to go there. It doesn’t even matter.”
Cuban confirmed he did not have advanced knowledge of the deal, which has been previously reported.
“I knew five minutes at the most before (it was reported). … From a basketball perspective, you know, I hear about it after the fact, I don’t hear about anything beforehand.”
Is it difficult for him to be out of the loop when he was used to being actively involved in front office decisions?
“Yeah, there are parts that aren’t fun, obviously. Especially this month, or last month. But, you know, they paid for that right.”
Does he regret selling his majority stake in the Mavs?
“Sometimes I get mad (and think) ‘I would have done this.’ But, not really. … I didn’t want my kids to end up in this exact position, at some level, if they made a mistake. Imagine if I didn’t [sell], and my kids had taken over and they made a mistake like this.”
On the team’s struggle to communicate with fans in the aftermath of the trade:
“I think the biggest challenge that the Mavs have right now is there’s nobody who’s really outgoing to communicate. It’s not so much what you do, it’s how you communicate why you do what you do — and that’s their challenge without me in front.”
Has he been consulted by GM Nico Harrison or governor Patrick Dumont since the trade was completed?
“I have not talked to Nico about it. I said hi to Nico twice after the trade.”
The full video interview can be found here, while more transcript highlights can be found on WFFA’s website.
Lakers Notes: Doncic, LeBron, Mavs Win, Defense
Luka Doncic scored just 19 points in his first game against the Mavericks on Tuesday, but he also contributed 15 rebounds and 12 assists, registering his first triple-double since joining the Lakers and becoming the third player in NBA history – along with Russell Westbrook and teammate LeBron James – to post triple-doubles against all 30 teams, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
Most importantly, Doncic and the Lakers picked up the win, defeating his former team by a score of 107-99. After the game, the star guard sounded more relieved than triumphant, according to McMenamin.
“It was just a lot of emotions and not much sleep,” Doncic said. “I can’t even explain (it). It was a different game. … Sometimes I don’t know what I was doing. And I’m just glad it’s over, honestly.”
While the scene wasn’t as charged as it figures to be on April 9 when the Lakers visit Dallas for the first time since the trade, Doncic said getting his first game against the Mavs out of the way will “definitely help me,” though he added that it will take “a while” to feel like he has closure on that era of his career.
“Obviously there’s a lot of emotion that goes in when you give so much to a franchise and you sacrifice for a franchise and you have that type of love and respect for a franchise — throughout all the journeys,” James said, per McMenamin. “(Doncic and the Mavericks) went to the Finals, all that stuff. He’s grown from being an 18-, 19-year-old kid to now a 25-year-old man with a family. … And when you move on or they move on from you, it’s very emotional, obviously. It’s very taxing.
“It’s probably a lot of things that were going on in his head that probably didn’t even involve the game itself. And with that said, I thought he handled it tremendously.”
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- Within an interesting behind-the-scenes look at how the first few weeks of Doncic’s time in Los Angeles have played out, ESPN’s McMenamin notes that James has expressed a willingness to defer to his new superstar teammate on offense. “I’ve worked on my outside shot and my catch-and-shoot game for quite a while now to be able to sync up with someone like Luka,” LeBron said. “… I believe that in order for us to ultimately be the team that we want to be with him here, he has to have the ball, he has to be able to put us all in position, he has to be him. The seven years that we’ve seen in the NBA with Luka, we want that Luka.”
- Mavericks president of basketball operations Nico Harrison was on the court during warmups on Tuesday, but Doncic didn’t acknowledge Harrison and stated after the game that he didn’t see him, as ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne writes.
- Shelburne also provides a few more details on Doncic’s first game against the Mavericks, such as Mark Cuban‘s admission that he “hated” rooting against his former franchise player. According to Shelburne, Doncic jokingly told Cuban to “shut up” after the Mavs’ former majority owner made a point of booing him.
- Since January 15, the Lakers own the NBA’s best record (15-4) and No. 1 defensive rating (107.4), as Jovan Buha of The Athletic observes. While their roster has undergone significant changes during that time, the Lakers’ defensive rating during that time isn’t being buoyed by Anthony Davis‘ play — since his last game with the team on January 28, L.A.’s defensive rating is a league-best 105.9. Head coach J.J. Redick praised the Lakers for being “committed” to playing team defense and told reporters on Tuesday that James has been playing at “an All-NBA defense level” in recent weeks, according to Buha.
Luka Doncic Discusses ‘Special’ Lakers Debut
Playing for the first time since suffering a left calf strain on Christmas Day, Luka Doncic made his Lakers debut on Monday, helping to guide the team to a comfortable 132-113 victory over Utah. It wasn’t the best game of Doncic’s career – he had just 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting in 24 minutes – but he told reporters after the victory that it was a “special” one, per Jovan Buha of The Athletic.
“The way they received me, everybody, it was amazing to see,” Doncic said. “I was a little bit nervous before. I don’t remember the last time I was nervous before the game. But once I stepped on the court, it was fun. And just being out there again felt amazing.”
As Buha and Dave McMenamin of ESPN write, the Lakers went out of their way to make their newest addition comfortable in his debut. Every fan in attendance received a Doncic t-shirt jersey, the Lakers played Serbian music during pregame warmups (a staple during Doncic’s days in Dallas), and he was the last Lakers starter introduced, temporarily taking the spot typically reserved for LeBron James.
In a pregame huddle captured on ESPN’s broadcast, James told Doncic, “Luka, be your f—ing self. Don’t fit in, fit the f— out. Be yourself.” Doncic said it felt “amazing” to hear that and added that the speech gave him “chills.”
“I didn’t play in a long time, first of all,” Doncic said. “It’s a new team. New everything. But like the way they helped me, teammates, (general manager) Rob (Pelinka), (owner) Jeanie (Buss), it was just a lot of support for me. You could see when I came to the arena, I saw all the Luka jerseys. It was just a surreal feeling.”
The Lakers’ victory, their sixth in a row and 10th in 11 games, moved them into fourth place in the Western Conference standings.
Meanwhile, in Dallas, the Mavericks lost for the 15th time in their last 23 games and are now clinging to a play-in spot, just one game ahead of the 11th-seeded Suns. As Tim MacMahon of ESPN details, multiple Mavericks fans – upset about the trade that sent Doncic to Los Angeles in a package headlined by Anthony Davis – were ejected in the second half of a one-point overtime loss to Sacramento and team governor Patrick Dumont was loudly booed by fans.
[RELATED: Anthony Davis Expected To Miss Multiple Weeks]
At one point in the game, former Mavs majority owner and current minority stakeholder Mark Cuban yelled at two fans to “shut the f— up and sit the f— down,” MacMahon reports. Cuban told ESPN the fans were chanting “fire Nico” (ie. general manager Nico Harrison) while the Mavs were shooting free throws and again during a critical late-game possession. They were later ejected.
Head coach Jason Kidd didn’t speak to reporters after Dallas’ loss, a violation of NBA rules.
“I mean, yeah. I saw,” Doncic said on Monday when asked about the reaction in Dallas to the trade that ended his Mavs tenure. “Obviously, I saw the fans. Obviously, I really appreciate it. I’ve been there seven years — almost seven years — and it was amazing to experience those fans — the love for me. I’ll always appreciate that. But now I think we should focus on the next step. And the way Lakers fans received me here was amazing.”