Dirk Nowitzki decision a painful reminder of how poorly Mavericks botched Luka Doncic trade

As heartbreaking as the stunning Luka Doncic trade has been for Mavericks fans, it somehow grew even more painful on Monday.

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer and Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki poured salt on the wound when he revealed plans to attend Doncic’s Lakers debut to support his former teammate.

“I will always be a Mav for life, but had to come support my guy … in the first game of his new chapter!” Nowitzki wrote on social media.

Nowitzki and Doncic played for one season together, in 2018-19, when Doncic was a rookie, and Nowitzki was in his final season.

Nowitzki is currently a Mavericks special advisor. It’s unprecedented for an organization member to go out of their way to support a recently traded player. Then again, we’ve also arguably never seen an NBA trade as shocking as the one that sent Doncic to Los Angeles.

Nowitki’s decision to attend a Western Conference rival’s game speaks to how unpopular the Doncic trade was and continues to be.

The five-time All-NBA selection led Dallas to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010-11 last season and was the 2023-24 scoring champ after averaging 33.9 points per game. 

Before suffering a calf strain earlier this season, Doncic averaged 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists and a career-high two steals per game.

As part of the trade, the Mavs acquired forward Anthony Davis, who is out indefinitely (quad).

Nowitzki, who played all 21 of his NBA seasons with the Mavericks, is the franchise’s greatest player and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2023.

But even he is having difficulty moving past the Doncic trade.

For Mavs general manager Nico Harrison, parting with a generational talent like Doncic was terrible enough. Forcing Nowitzki to support the Lakers for a night because of his fondness for Doncic might be worse.

Eric Smithling

Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans