How Mavericks fans feel about the Luka Doncic trade 9 months later

DALLAS — It was a beautiful night in Dallas on Wednesday when I left the American Airlines Center after Dallas Mavericks‘ game against the New Orleans Pelicans. However, the overall mood of the fans leaving the game did not match tonight’s atmosphere. It was almost dark leaving the arena after the Mavs’ 101-99 loss to the Pelicans — a loss that dropped Dallas’ record to 2-6 on the season. Then a familiar chant began to erupt from outside the arena.

“Fire Nico! Fire Nico!”

Only a few fans were chanting because it was late and many must be tired. However, I did see a few people nodding and smiling in agreement with the chant. After the game, someone even told me that Mavericks contests aren’t “fun” anymore.

Nine months ago, CEO Nico Harrison and The Mavericks shocked the NBA world with the Luka Doncic trade to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and one first round pick. Davis is injured right now, Christie is playing pretty well, and the first round pick will be a 2029 selection. meanwhile, Doncic enjoys playing with the Lakers and Los Angeles currently holds a 7-2 record.

It’s easy to look at social media and automatically assume there’s no shortage of frustration among Mavericks fans. However, social media doesn’t always represent real life. In this particular scenario, however, many Mavericks fans who attend the games remain troubled by what happened nine months ago.

Doncic was not only a great player – he was the face of the franchise. Some fans are tired of the talk and want to focus on this year’s team. Heck, I’ll probably get some DMs from fans telling me to keep going just for writing this article. Still, I can’t ignore what I saw on Wednesday night.

An extremely dedicated and passionate fan base was dealt an unfortunate blow by the Mavericks front office in early February 2025. While most fans still want to support the team, that has proven difficult as the 2025-26 Mavs are tied for last in the Western Conference, while Doncic’s Lakers are just one spot behind Oklahoma City.

Not much has changed in the nine months since the deal was struck. Cooper Flagg joining the team gives fans hope, but he’s an 18-year-old rookie and still has plenty of room for improvement. Davis is an All-Star, but it’s hard to ignore his injury history. He is already struggling with injury problems at the start of the new campaign.

Fans are hoping the 2025-26 team can turn things around, but there’s undoubtedly a different feel around the Dallas Mavericks this season after trading Luka Doncic.