Owner confesses Luka Doncic’s remorse to teenage fan

Things could go a little better for Dallas Mavericks right now, and probably would be if they hadn’t traded Luka Dončić that the Los Angeles Lakers in February.

Although the Mavs general manager seemed to be polarizing Nico Harrison fortunate to receive the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft, which allowed them to land long-awaited prospect Cooper Flagg, Dallas has turned out to be among the worst teams in the league so far this season. At 3-8, only the New Orleans Pelicans have a worse record in the Western Conference, and a loss clearly has Harrison on the hot seat and team owner Patrick Dumont admitting they made a mistake in trading Doncic.

Shortly after the trade, in which Dallas shockingly sent Doncic, a five-time first-team All-NBA selection and perennial MVP candidate, to the Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis and Max Christie and nothing else, Dimon hinted that Dončić was traded because he didn’t work hard enough and wasn’t dedicated to just winning. Like Harrison, who reportedly thought Doncic had a poor work ethic and bad lifestyle habits, the comments drew criticism of Dumont from fans and analysts, many of whom pointed to Doncic’s success on the court, such as leading the Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals.

Now, however, Dumont regrets the trade, at least according to Nicholas Dickason, an 18-year-old fan who sat next to the Mavs owner a few weeks after flipping Dumont the bird, said his father should apologize to Dumont in person.

“Dumont smiled several times during the conversation and was receptive to the apology, Dickson said, noting that the governor admitted he regrets the unpopular decision,” wrote Tim Curtis of the Dallas Morning News.

“‘He said he was trying to do what was best for the organization,’ Dickason said, ‘and ‘Sometimes you have good intentions and you make mistakes.’ We all do it.’”

The alleged admission would appear to be in line with recent reports, which have indicated as much Dumont is nearing a final decision to fire Harrisonwho signed a contract extension in July 2024 and received public support from Dumont following the Doncic trade. Harrison has been the general manager of the Mavericks since 2021, when Mark Cuban still owned the team. Cuban announced he was selling the franchise to Dumont and his stepmother Miriam Adelson more than a year later.

The Mavericks will continue their four-game homestand against the Phoenix Suns tomorrow.