Dallas Mavericks

Home-court advantage is typically a good thing in the NBA, but the crowd at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Saturday will be anything but a usual one.

It will be the first home game for the Dallas Mavericks since they traded Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers, and Klay Thompson is prepared for a "weird" environment as his team takes on the Houston Rockets.

"Probably a lot of heartbreak amongst the fans," he told reporters Thursday. "Probably some boos. But, as a professional, you have to embrace everything, and we're paid to play this game and perform at the highest level.

"I don't know what to expect. I know Luka was so dear to every Mavs fan's heart. We've just got to win, and do it on a consistent basis, and give ourselves a chance to win the whole thing, and I think that will ease all of the fans' pain and anger.

"It's going to be weird, but that's what we sign up for."

Fans have already expressed their displeasure with the trade with a protest outside the stadium that included chants of "sell the team."

Mavs fans protesting outside of American Airlines Center 😳👀

“SELL! THE! TEAM!” 🗣️

(via @jake_riepma 105.3 The Fan Show Host) pic.twitter.com/NXoEnAuuAf

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 2, 2025

ESPN's Tim Bontemps noted there are more protests expected for Saturday in addition to a Go Fund Me campaign that has raised $40,000 in an effort to put up a billboard criticizing general manager Nico Harrison and the Adelson family, which purchased the team last year.

To call it a stunning trade would be an understatement, as Dončić was already a franchise icon at 25 years old. Getting Anthony Davis back at least meant the Mavericks landed another star player, but the big man is also 31 and has dealt with durability concerns a number of times.

The only way for the Mavericks to help their fans move on is by winning, and that is what they did Thursday with a 127-120 victory over the Boston Celtics.

Thompson poured in 25 points and will likely need to play a bigger role in the offense with Dončić now on the Lakers.

The Dallas Mavericks engineered a stunning road upset over the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics on Thursday, leading by as many as 27 points en route to a 127-120 victory.

The Mavs endured a brutal start to the post-Luka Dončić era, losing 144-101 to the Cleveland Cavaliers before falling 118-116 to the Philadelphia 76ers as the team remains without new big man Anthony Davis, who is rehabbing an abdominal strain.

On Thursday, though, the Mavs got it done with a balanced scoring attack.

Six players scored 15 or more points, with Klay Thompson's 25 (23 in the first half) leading the way. Kyrie Irving added 19 points against his ex-team. Spencer Dinwiddie (22 points) and Naji Marshall (20 points) led a tremendous second unit.

Big man Daniel Gafford dominated the glass with 15 rebounds to go along with eight points, five assists and two blocks.

Perhaps most importantly, Max Christie, who came over in the Luka-AD trade, had another great game, finishing with 15 points, 6 rebounds and four assists.

Max Christie first two games with Mavs:

31.0 MIN
15.0 PPG (52.4 FG% 57.1 3PT%)
7.5 RPG
3.5 APG

Plays like a vet and the defense is really good.

— Landon Thomas (@sixfivelando) February 7, 2025

Meanwhile, Boston couldn't get anything going. The final score did not reflect Dallas' dominance, as the Celtics trailed 114-90 with 8:57 left. The C's cleared the bench early in the fourth quarter, and guard Payton Pritchard (21 points, six rebounds, six assists) caught fire down the stretch to make the game closer than it seemed. He scored 16 in the final frame.

Jaylen Brown led the C's with 25 points. Jayson Tatum had a relatively quiet night with 17 points.

No Mavs fan can be blamed for being downtrodden after seeing the team deal one of the NBA's elite talents, a five-time All-NBA First Team player who just led Dallas to the NBA Finals at 25 years of age.

However, this was a huge win for the team, and there was some positivity on social media during and after this one.

I can’t express how big of a win this was for not only the Dallas Mavericks, but the city of Dallas in general.

This meant something to me. One of my first smiles this week.

— MFFL NATION (@NationMffl) February 7, 2025

could the mavs be the nobody believes in us team this year

— Isaac Harris (@IsaacLHarris) February 7, 2025

Also not understanding how good Jason Kidd is at coaching.

— Eddie A Johnson (@Jumpshot8) February 7, 2025

This means something to me pic.twitter.com/J5LX4XrJly

— MavsMuse (@MavsMuse) February 7, 2025

12 assists 0 turnovers in the 2nd quarter for the Mavs pic.twitter.com/cc3KLmlkax

— Slightly Biased (@BiasedSlightly) February 7, 2025

I can’t quit you Mavs. Ever.

— Corby Davidson (@corbydavidson) February 7, 2025

Tbh the Basketball Gods may have just decided the Mavs and their fans deserved a game like this

— Dan Greenberg (@StoolGreenie) February 7, 2025

Getting a win against the Celtics on the road while missing essentially their whole front court after the week they have had is wildly impressive.

The Mavericks stay two games above .500 with major help on the way this weekend.

Go Mavs. We needed that. 💙

— The Mavs Blog (@TheMavsBlog) February 7, 2025

The Mavericks will begin a five-game homestand on Saturday against the Houston Rockets. Per NBA insider Marc Stein, Davis is expected to make his Mavs debut for that game.

The Dallas Mavericks reportedly made a play for Phoenix Suns superstar forward Kevin Durant before Thursday's NBA trade deadline.

Speaking Thursday on The Putback, SNY's Ian Begley said the Mavs were "very aggressive" as recently as Wednesday in trying to recruit other teams into a multi-team deal that could have potentially landed them KD:

"I was told that the Mavericks were very aggressive, as recently as Wednesday, trying to find other teams to get involved so they could make the math work and bring Kevin Durant to Dallas. Obviously, nothing coming to fruition there." - @IanBegley

Ian, @ChelseaSherrod and… pic.twitter.com/l9qGPrkUZw

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) February 6, 2025

The Mavericks previously made the biggest trade of the season last weekend when they sent superstar guard Luka Dončić, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick.

Trade talk involving Durant began to pick up this week, especially once the Suns ruled him out for Wednesday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to an ankle sprain.

The Golden State Warriors were among the teams believed to be most heavily in on Durant, but ESPN's Shams Charania and Ohm Youngmisuk reported Wednesday that KD had "no desire" to return to a Golden State team he played with from 2016 to 2019.

With the Warriors out of the running, nothing got done on deadline day, and the Suns ultimately decided to keep Durant.

Durant, 36, was acquired by the Suns via trade with the Brooklyn Nets during the 2022-23 season. The Suns later acquired Bradley Beal from the Washington Wizards as well, giving Phoenix a core of Durant, Beal and Devin Booker.

There were huge expectations for that group to take the Western Conference by storm, but the Suns fell in the first round of the playoffs last season and are just 25-25 so far this season.

Durant's play has been the least of the Suns' issues, as the 15-time All-Star, four-time scoring champ, two-time NBA champion, two-time NBA Finals MVP and one-time NBA MVP is averaging 26.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.4 three-pointers made and 1.3 blocks per game.

It is unclear what the Mavs would have parted with in a trade for Durant and his $51.1 million salary, but a deal may have included some combination of Klay Thompson, PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford.

However, with Durant staying in Phoenix for now, the Mavs are moving forward with the superstar duo of Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving, surrounded by a supporting cast of Thompson, Washington, Gafford, Christie, Caleb Martin and Naji Marshall.

With Doncic and Irving leading the way last season, the Mavericks went all the way to the NBA Finals, falling to the Boston Celtics in five games.

Dallas would have perhaps been the favorite in the Western Conference with a triumvirate of Davis, Irving and Durant, but the front office couldn't convince the Suns to make the deal happen.

Even with the roster as is, the Mavs undoubtedly have a chance to make some noise in the West, and they should be able to improve on their 26-25 record once Davis, Irving and Co. are on the court together.

Dallas Mavericks big man Anthony Davis reportedly is expected to make his debut with the team on Saturday against the Houston Rockets, according to NBA reporter Marc Stein, and won't feature in Thursday's contest against the Boston Celtics.

The Mavericks acquired Davis from the Los Angeles Lakers as part of a larger deal that notably saw five-time All-NBA First Team guard Luka Dončić headed the other way.

The 31-year-old Davis has averaged 25.7 points on 52.8 percent shooting, 11.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. He's a nine-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA player and five-time All-NBA Defensive Team member who has a spot on the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team. Davis is also an NBA champion after winning a title with the 2019-20 Los Angeles Lakers.

Davis has been out since Jan. 28, when he suffered an abdominal strain during his final Lakers game, a 114-100 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

However, hope reigned that he could return in the near future:

Anthony Davis said this morning that while he isn't playing tonight with the abdominal strain he suffered last week, he was going to go through a post-shootaround workout and that he could return as soon as Thursday in Boston or Saturday at home against Houston.

— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) February 4, 2025

Without Davis, the Mavs are thin down low until rookie Dereck Lively II returns from a right ankle stress fracture. Dallas reported on Jan. 22 that he'd be re-evaluated in a month. Dwight Powell has also been out since Jan. 17 with a right hip strain, and big man Daniel Gafford suffered a left shoulder injury on Tuesday, Feb. 4 against the 76ers.

Davis' return, of course, would be a welcome sight for a Mavs team that sorely needs firepower, especially with Dončić now a Laker. Dallas also needs all the help it can get as the team fights for the playoffs one year after winning the Western Conference.

Dallas Mavericks fans shouldn't expect Kevin Durant to join Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving in North Texas ahead of Thursday's 3 p.m. ET NBA trade deadline.

NBA insider Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported Tuesday that "there was no tangible expectation percolating in Dallas, as of Tuesday night, to suggest that the Mavericks were a true factor in the Durant chase."

Sam Amick, David Aldridge and Anthony Slater of The Athletic reported before that that the Mavs "have dreams of adding Durant."

Dallas' interest in the 14-time All-Star seems to further undercut one of the remarks general manager Nico Harrison made in the wake of trading franchise cornerstone Luka Dončić.

Harrison told ESPN's Tim MacMahon that swapping Dončić for Davis meant the Mavericks are "built to win now and in the future."

Maybe history will show paying Dončić a five-year supermax extension worth up to $345 million would've been a mistake, one with significant long-term consequences. For now, however, the front office shortened its championship window with the current roster.

That means needing to target more aging vets such as Durant to pair with Davis and Irving. And you covet the 36-year-old specifically with an eye toward winning within the next few seasons due to his age and eventual free agency in 2026.

Not to mention, KD will have been with the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns for less than three full years apiece if he bolts before the deadline or this summer.

But leaning on Davis and Irving, two stars with injury records on the wrong side of 30, means Harrison has to operate on a win-now basis.

Even if the Mavericks don't get Durant now, it might be a matter of time before they reignite their pursuit or look to another marquee star in the offseason.

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving spoke publicly Tuesday for the first time since the blockbuster trade that sent Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis on Saturday night.

According to ESPN's Tim Bontemps, Irving divulged that playing alongside AD is an idea that was first conceived back in 2018 when he was playing for the Boston Celtics:

"We were discussing in 2018, just for everybody at home that's watching, because I know all of these words are going to be looked at.

"But yeah, in 2018, it was a dream for Kyrie, AD, [Kevin Durant] to be on one team and still keep [Jayson Tatum] and let him grow and then see how it goes. But back then, those young guys weren't ready to be in trade rumors, man. Our locker room splintered after that once they found out. It wasn't [Jaylen Brown] or JT, but our locker room splintered once they started figuring out the trade rumors, and our season started going in a whole different way."

Irving was the veteran leader in Boston at that time, guiding the likes of Tatum and Brown. There were constant rumors of major trades surrounding the team, and they often focused on Davis, who was with the New Orleans Pelicans.

Kyrie ended up leaving Boston to sign with the Brooklyn Nets during the 2019 offseason, and Durant joined him. Davis was then traded from the Pelicans to the Lakers, and he helped LeBron James win a championship in 2020.

Now, seven years since Davis-to-Boston trade rumors ran rampant, he will finally get the opportunity to play alongside Irving.

The Mavs and Lakers shocked the basketball world Saturday night since there was no indication Dončić or Davis were even available. In the end, the Lakers landed a 25-year-old superstar in Dončić, plus Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris, while the Mavericks got Davis, Max Christie and a first-round pick.

Irving admitted Tuesday that he is already missing Dončić, who he teamed with to bring the Mavs to the NBA Finals last season, saying: "Just really shocked. You just don't imagine you're going to get ready to go to sleep and then you find out news like that. It's still a grieving process right now. I miss my hermano."

Despite his personal feelings, Irving acknowledged that the NBA is a "business," and he noted: "I've just got to adjust and be ready to welcome in my new teammates with open arms.

While swapping a 25-year-old Dončić for a 31-year-old Davis perhaps shortens the Mavs' championship window, it can be argued that AD is a better complement to Kyrie since he can do work on the interior at both ends of the floor, while Irving is the primary ball-handler and playmaker.

Perhaps the biggest questions relates to whether the Mavs have enough pieces around Irving and Davis to be a championship team.

Entering play Wednesday, Dallas is 11th in the Western Conference at 26-25, meaning the team has some work to do in terms of securing a top-10 spot and then perhaps a top-six spot in order to avoid the postseason play-in game.

Davis returning from an abdominal injury should go a long way toward getting the Mavs on the right track, and per Bontemps, Davis suggested Tuesday that he could make his Mavericks debut either Thursday against the Boston Celtics or Saturday against the Houston Rockets.

The Dallas Mavericks' inexplicable decision to trade Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick may have ultimately been an ownership call.

Colin Cowherd said during his podcast on Tuesday that a person who has known Mavs general manager Nico Harrison for over 20 years said the decision to trade Dončić "came from above and beyond the general manager," [2:00 mark].

So why exactly would the Mavericks want to get out of the Dončić business? Why ditch a five-time first-team All-NBA selection who just led you to the NBA Finals and is in his prime years?

On Monday, ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Tim MacMahon reported that "the Mavericks' frustrations with Dončić's habits on and off the court were well known in league circles. Head coach Jason Kidd frequently expressed concerns publicly and directly with Dončić about his conditioning, weight fluctuations and constant arguing with officials. Dončić had mostly taken the criticism without complaint, but it never resulted in a significant change in his habits."

The most feasible explanation for trading him, then, is that Mavericks were concerned Dončić may not age well given his conditioning habits and didn't want to saddle themselves with the five-year, $345 million supermax extension he would have been eligible to sign this summer.

New video: My @SportsCenter report on Day 1 of Luka Doncic in L.A. pic.twitter.com/VEl8vcx4qM

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 5, 2025

As Shelburne and MacMahon reported, team governor Patrick Dumont saw the trade as "a business decision that would preserve the Mavericks' financial flexibility for the long term, team sources said, and he trusted Harrison's vision of how Davis would be a culture-setter and give the team a new defense-minded identity."

They added that "team sources say they were as afraid of Dončić signing the [supermax] deal as they were of him not."

With 5 on 5 work tomorrow and an anticipated @Lakers debut for Luka on Saturday, @JaredSGreenberg has the latest on Dončić's arrival in LA 🙌 pic.twitter.com/uSS8m23WXI

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 5, 2025

Even so, Harrison could have advocated for opening up trade talks behind just the clandestine conversations with the Lakers. He could have created a bidding war for Dončić rather than settling for a solitary first-round pick and a 31-year-old star who will shorten the team's window to compete for titles. And he could have kept Dončić in the loop rather than blindsiding him with the trade, a decision that could come back to bite the Mavericks in the future when other superstars have to decide if they want to align themselves with Harrison and the team's ownership. Agents have long memories.

In the short term, perhaps the duo of Kyrie Irving and Davis will fare well together, and perhaps the Mavericks have more moves in mind. For now, though, the decision to trade Dončić—whoever's decision it ultimately was—was handled in questionable fashion.

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving told reporters that he was "really shocked" and in a "grieving process" right now after the team traded away five-time All-NBA first-team guard Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers.

ESPN's Tim Bontemps provided the quotes after the Mavericks' 118-116 road loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday:

Kyrie Irving, on his initial reaction to the Luka Doncic trade: "Just really shocked and you just don’t imagine you’re going to get ready to go to sleep and then you find out news like that.

"It’s still a grieving process right now. I miss my hermano."

— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) February 5, 2025

Irving added more remarks:

Kyrie Irving, on what was going through his mind as he processed the trade Saturday night, saying both that the goal is to win a championship, but that “at the same time, we still have to acknowledge our little Slovenian president is no longer here, and we’ve got to adjust. “ pic.twitter.com/55CHI256Xa

— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) February 5, 2025

Irving and Dončić became teammates after the former was traded from the Brooklyn Nets to the Mavericks in Feb. 2023. In their first full season together (2023-24), they led the Mavs to their third-ever Western Conference title and first since 2011.

Needless to say, this was a historically shocking move. Dončić is inarguably one of the NBA's top five players, and he just got moved in his prime at the age of 25.

Unsurprisingly, this clearly hurt Irving, who just helped author an NBA Finals run with Dončić. Now Dallas has to completely reboot without its leader.

The Mavericks do have some reinforcements coming via big man Anthony Davis, who will play the 4 and be a tremendous defensive presence. That's on top of his offensive prowess (25.7 points on 52.8 percent shooting).

The 31-year-old is out right now with an abdominal strain, but he told reporters (h/t ESPN's Tim Bontemps) he could return by the end of this week.

Davis and Irving could form a great one-two duo, although the team will find its share of struggles without Dončić's offensive creativity, playmaking and scoring prowess.

In the interim, Dallas has gone 0-2 in the post-Luka era, falling 144-101 to the Cleveland Cavaliers before the Philadelphia loss to drop to 26-25. The Mavs are going to need to fight just to make the play-in tournament, let alone the playoffs, and will look to avoid falling to .500 on Thursday at the Boston Celtics.

Dallas Mavericks fans who are upset the team traded Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers can apparently reach out to their ticket representatives if they want to cancel their season tickets.

"We value every season ticket member relationship and reps are available to take calls from members with any concerns or questions," the team said in a statement when asked about reports it was offering refunds for season tickets, per Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News.

Paul Livengood of WFAA Dallas reported there was "at least one season ticket holder who asked for a ticket cancellation and will be getting a refund, according to an email correspondence between the ticket holder and a team employee."

To say Mavericks fans were upset would be an understatement.

While getting Anthony Davis back in the trade means the team can still be a threat in the Western Conference, Dončić had already established himself as a franchise icon at just 25 years old. That age is also important, as he may not have even reached his peak yet and is already arguably a top-five player in the league.

By comparison, Davis is 31 years old and has dealt with durability concerns for much of his career.

Some Mavericks fans responded to the trade by protesting outside of American Airlines Center and chanting "sell the team."

Mavs fans protesting outside of American Airlines Center 😳👀

“SELL! THE! TEAM!” 🗣️

(via @jake_riepma 105.3 The Fan Show Host) pic.twitter.com/NXoEnAuuAf

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 2, 2025

Livengood noted there was a GoFundMe started to raise money to buy billboards to let the team know how upset they were with the deal. What's more, a brewery in the area even started selling a "sell the team" beer.

The Mavericks provided a statement to Livengood as well that addressed concerns about next season for ticket holders: "Regarding tickets, no determination has been made about season ticket pricing for the 2025-26 Season. Season ticket members will hear from their reps over the next few weeks."

Perhaps the combination of Davis, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson will work well together as the Mavericks make a deep run in the playoffs. But even that likely won't make the fans forget about Dončić and how upset they were after the deal.

After trading star guard Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, the Dallas Mavericks aren't done wheeling and dealing.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Mavs acquired forward Caleb Martin from the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday in exchange for shooting guard Quentin Grimes and a 2025 second-round pick that was originally owned by the Sixers.

NBA insider Marc Stein explained that the second-round pick was Philadelphia's primary motivation for the trade, as it was originally sent to the Oklahoma City Thunder as part of a 2021 trade for point guard George Hill.

NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that Martin "drew some real interest around the league, as the Sixers' season slipped away due to injuries." The Milwaukee Bucks were reportedly among the teams interested in him and could pursue his twin brother Cody Martin of the Charlotte Hornets.

In his first season in Philadelphia, Martin was a serviceable contributor for an injury-riddled team. He appeared in 31 games with 24 starts and averaged 9.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.1 steals while shooting 37.9 percent from beyond the arc. He had a breakout performance on Christmas Day against the Boston Celtics, scoring 23 points on 7-of-9 shooting from three-point range in a 118-114 win.

Martin will be joining a new-look Mavs team that made one of the most shocking trades in NBA history by sending Dončić to the Lakers as part of a deal that acquired star big man Anthony Davis, guard Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick. Dallas ranks eighth in the West with a 26-24 record.

It wouldn't be a surprise if the Mavs had more moves in store before Thursday's trade deadline as they begin a new era without Dončić.