Dallas Mavericks

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."

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.

New Dallas Mavericks star Anthony Davis said Tuesday that he could debut with his new team later this week.

Davis said that he won't play Tuesday due to an abdominal strain, he will go through a post-shootaround workout and could play either Thursday against the Boston Celtics or Saturday against the Houston Rockets, per ESPN's Tim Bontemps,

Davis has had a mostly healthy season thus far, playing in 42 games and putting up 25.7 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and 1.3 steals per game.

He has missed some time since suffering an abdominal muscle strain against the Philadelphia 76ers on Jan. 28, which occurred when he was still with the Los Angeles Lakers, but has otherwise avoided any major injuries this year.

The Mavs shocked the basketball world Saturday when they acquired AD in a blockbuster deal that sent superstar guard Luka Dončić to the Lakers.

Davis entered the 2024-25 campaign coming off the healthiest season of his career a year ago, playing 76 games while putting up 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.3 steals per game. Before last season, Davis had not played more than 62 games since the 2017-18 season when he was with the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Mavs brought Davis to Dallas because they believe that "defense wins championships," and they'll need Davis on the court soon to get to their goal of winning a title.

Entering play Tuesday, the Mavs are eighth in the Western Conference with a 26-24 record, which suggests they need a healthy Davis in the lineup soon in order to get inside the top six, which is the cut-off for reaching the playoffs without having to go through the postseason play-in tournament.

Many are still wondering what prompted the Dallas Mavericks to trade star guard Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, and one expert revealed that the writing was already on the wall that the Mavs were ready to ship him away.

"The league is rarely caught off guard by a transaction, but here we are, even after two days to digest the deal. The two takeaways I've heard the most: The Mavs' relationship with Dončić was more fractured than anyone comprehended, and the return from the Lakers was less than anyone expected," ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported on Tuesday.

Dallas sent Dončić and forwards Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to Los Angeles in exchange for star big man Anthony Davis, guard Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick.

Trading a 25-year-old phenom likely would've garnered a bigger return, but Mavs general manager Nico Harrison revealed that the Lakers were the only team he spoke to regarding a potential deal for Dončić.

ESPN's Tim MacMahon added some context to the decision, reporting that Dallas "had major concerns about moving forward" with Dončić "due to his constant conditioning issues and the looming commitment of another supermax contract extension this summer." MacMahon later said on Monday's episode of The Hoop Collective (43:45 mark) that the Mavs "were terrified of a supermax commitment," as Dončić would've been eligible to receive a five-year, $345 million extension this summer.

The public perception surrounding the trade likely won't change anytime soon. Dallas shipped away the face of its franchise without warning, completely altering the team's future outlook.

Only time will tell if the Mavs made the correct decision to part ways with Dončić at the height of his career.

Kansas City Chiefs superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes is deep in preparation for Sunday's Super Bowl LIX, but he took some time Monday to discuss the NBA blockbuster trade that shook the sports world Saturday night.

Mahomes, who is a longtime Dallas Mavericks fan from Tyler, Texas, told reporters the following Monday at Super Bowl Opening Night when asked about the Mavs' shocking decision to trade Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis:

"Luka is such a franchise player. I know it hurt my heart as a Mavs fan, but I'm excited for the future and having [Davis].

"It definitely hurts more than anything knowing Luka and the work that he put in and the time he's put in in Dallas and the city and how he's done so much for it. That's been the thing that's hurt me the most. But I'm excited for the future of the Mavs as well. Having AD and Kyrie [Irving] and all these guys they have, they'll have a chance to go out there and compete. But I'm excited for Luka too and to get to learn under LeBron [James] and become even a better basketball player."

Fans were shocked late Saturday night when news broke of one of the biggest NBA trades in recent memory.

The crux of the deal saw Dončić go to the Lakers and Davis go to the Mavs, but the Lakers also received Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris, while the Mavericks got Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick.

There was a third-team involved as well with the Utah Jazz getting Jalen Hood-Schifino and two second-round picks.

While Dončić has been out since December due to a calf injury, he has been widely considered one of the top players in the NBA since entering the league in 2018.

The five-time All-Star led the league in scoring last season with 33.9 points per game, plus he finished third in NBA MVP voting and led the Mavs to the NBA Finals.

Prior to getting injured this season, the Slovenian star was enjoying another big year with 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game.

Dončić does not turn 26 until Feb. 28, which likely explains why the Lakers jumped at the opportunity to acquire him and pair him with LeBron.

Of course, the Lakers had to give up a quality player in Davis to make it happen, and his presence will likely be missed in L.A.

The 10-time All-Star helped the Lakers win their most recent championship in 2020, and he has been excellent this season with averages of 25.7 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.1 blocks per contest.

Davis will turn 32 in March, so while he doesn't have as many peak seasons left as Dončić, he can still help the Mavs win big this season, especially with Irving as his running mate.

The acquisition of Davis likely speeds up Dallas' timeline and makes it even more important to win a championship in the next couple of seasons, whereas the Lakers likely extended their championship window with the addition of Dončić.

After the Chiefs go for the first Super Bowl three-peat in NFL history on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles, Mahomes' offseason will begin, and he may be able to shift more of his focus toward the new-look Mavs and their pursuit of a second championship in franchise history.

Luka Dončić's father, Sasa, was not pleased that the Dallas Mavericks didn't give his son any indication that they were planning on trading him to the Los Angeles Lakers before the stunning deal went down.

"I think that exactly this secrecy—or should I say from some individuals, maybe even hypocrisy—this hurts me personally," he said Sunday during the Slovenian broadcast of the Mavs vs. Cleveland Cavaliers. "I think that Luka absolutely doesn't deserve this. ... I feel like this is very unfair from some individuals because I know that Luka respected Dallas a lot. He respected the whole city, helped children."

"It wasn't even a problem last year since, I am saying again, one individual said he's not fit enough," he added. "That he played, I don't know, 100 games, practically 40 minutes with two or three players constantly on him. That he was beaten and you say such things about him. I feel that this is very unfair from certain individuals. You traded him, stand by your actions but don't look for excuses or alibis, that's it."

Between the regular season and playoffs last season, Dončić played 92 games. But there have been reports that Dallas was frustrated with Dončić's conditioning habits and his weight, and general manager Nico Harrison hinted that the team was never sold on offering Dončić the five-year, $345 million supermax contract he would have been eligible to sign.

"I feel like we got out in front of what could have been a tumultuous summer," Harrison said Sunday. "Other teams that were loading up that he was going to be able to decide, make his own decision at some point of whether he wants to be here or not. Whether we want to supermax him or not, or whether he wants to opt out. So, I think we had to take all that into consideration."

Instead, ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Tim MacMahon reported that Harrison "decided early on, team sources said, that the best way to trade a player of Dončić's caliber was to pick the trade that he wanted, rather than open up the process, to avoid Dončić and his agent exerting their own leverage. It would also avoid the crippling fan backlash that might influence the deal."

So the most popular player the franchise has had since Dirk Nowitzki—one of the truly elite players in the NBA who was just entering his prime years and had never expressed plans to leave Dallas—was traded without any sort of bidding war around the league or consideration of the fan base that adored him. It isn't hard to understand why some people, including those in Dončić's circle, have felt a bit betrayed.

Even Duolingo is taking a jab at the Dallas Mavericks after trading away superstar Luka Dončić.

In a viral response to the trade that sent the Dallas Mavericks All-Star to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package that included Anthony Davis, Duolingo responded in the best way it knew how.

"Let's review your mistakes!" a phrase that the language-learning app says when reviewing each lesson.

Following the trade, it was obvious who the winners and who the losers were to more than just Duolingo:

The trade that sent shockwaves through the NBA world on Saturday was seemingly done in complete silence. The negotiations were kept so quiet that the Lakers were unable to talk with Bill Duffy, Dončić's agent, beforehand, as the information was at risk of becoming public quickly, per The Athletic's Fred Katz, Joe Vardon and Sam Amick.

Thus, the doors were left closed so that, if a trade did not materialize, both stars wouldn't be left disgruntled with their franchises.

Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison had initially indicated that he only spoke with the Lakers about moving Dončić, but it was reported that Dallas had called at least one other team for a potential trade to acquire another big star, per Katz, Vardon and Amick.

With the possibility of Dončić's contract expiring in 2026 and the Lakers moving in secret to acquire him, not knowing his intentions to re-sign came with some interesting clauses.

"There's some unique things about his contract that we had to pay attention to," Harrison said, per Katz, Vardon and Amick. "There's other teams that were loading up (to acquire him as a free agent). He was going to have to make his own decision at some point of whether he wants to be here or not, whether we want to supermax him or not, or whether he wants to opt out. So I think we have to take all that in consideration and feel like we got out in front of what could have been a tumultuous year."

The Lakers are set to face the Mavericks on Feb. 25 at home in what is sure to be a tumultuous game.

The stunning three-team trade that sent Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis left the NBA world reeling, in part because superstar players just entering their prime years—and less than a year removed from reaching the NBA Finals—are basically never traded unless they force an exit.

But folks in NBA circles were also shocked because there was absolutely no indication that Dončić was on the trade market in the first place. That, however, was very much by design.

According to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Tim MacMahon, Mavs' general manager Nic Harrison "decided early on, team sources said, that the best way to trade a player of Dončić's caliber was to pick the trade that he wanted, rather than open up the process, to avoid Doncic and his agent exerting their own leverage. It would also avoid the crippling fan backlash that might influence the deal. [Rob] Pelinka and the Lakers understood. Nothing could leak. Not a breath of it."

Harrison and Pelinka reportedly kept the talks so close to the vest that the Utah Jazz—who served as the third team in the deal by acquiring a pair of second-round picks to take on Jalen Hood-Schifino—"didn't know Dončić and Davis were a part of the deal until about an hour before it was completed, league sources said. Even Jazz president Danny Ainge, who hails from the Lakers' hated rival, the Boston Celtics, had only about 30 minutes notice, sources said, that Los Angeles was about to acquire Doncic to be the new face of its franchise."

Meanwhile, executives around the NBA were reportedly both "furious and jealous" that a player of Dončić's caliber was traded without having so much as an opportunity to make offers of their own.

"Unfathomable," a Western Conference executive told Shelburne and MacMahon.

"I'm stunned," an Eastern Conference added.

Harrison, meanwhile, hinted in his press conference that the Mavericks traded Dončić now, in part, to both avoid having to make a decision on signing him to a five-year, $345 million supermax extension and to preempt the possibility of the superstar player forcing his way out of Dallas later on down the line.

"There's other teams that were loading up that he was going to be able to decide, make his own decision at some point of whether he wants to be here or not," he told reporters. "Whether we want to supermax him or not, or whether he wants to opt out. So, I think we had to take all that into consideration, and I feel like we got out in front of what could have been a tumultuous summer."

The backlash was immediate. Harrison was not only accused of making a bad deal—giving up a 25-year-old superstar for a player like Davis, who is 31, and only getting Max Christie and one first-round pick in addition was a questionable return—but also of completely ignoring the implications of trading the most popular player in Dallas since Dirk Nowitzki.

Those implications were very quickly on display:

The fact that Harrison wanted to move quickly, and quietly, to trade Dončić in an effort to avoid the sort of fan backlash that could have nixed the deal will make an already unpopular move in Dallas all the more loathed.

It is basically unheard of that a franchise's best and most popular player—in this case, a perennial MVP candidate and five-time first-team All-NBA selection who is averaging 28.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game for his career—is traded in his prime unless he forces such a move. Those types of players are hard to come by.

Instead, Harrison and the Mavericks decided they wanted to get out of the Dončić business, and they wanted to do so before fans could let their feelings be known on the matter. No matter how the Mavs' front office and ownership spins it, that's the sort of decision that has the potential to create a major rift between an organization and its fans.

Former Dallas Mavericks player Chandler Parsons criticized the way his old team handled the personal side of trading the face of the franchise in Luka Dončić and also revealed the guard just purchased a $15 million house in the area.

Parsons said as much during a Monday appearance on FanDuel's Run It Back and called it "bad business" and "extreme BS" if the Mavericks weren't including Dončić in the conversation leading up to the shocking trade.

That Dončić was establishing his roots in Dallas comes as no surprise, as it is the only NBA team he has ever played for since entering the league in the 2018-19 season.

He also quickly became one of the NBA's best players with a resume that included an NBA Finals appearance, Rookie of the Year, a scoring title, five All-NBA selections and five All-Star Game nods and figured to be the cornerstone for the Mavericks for years to come.

Instead, he is now on the Los Angeles Lakers while Anthony Davis will be suiting up alongside Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson and others in Dallas.

That will be quite the transition for Dončić considering he and LeBron James are both ball-dominant players who will now need to learn how to coexist as the Lakers chase a deep playoff run in the loaded Western Conference.

And he will have to do all of that while potentially putting quite the expensive house he just purchased back on the market.