On Feb. 2, Dallas Mavericks fans hosted a funeral. Not because a player or fan passed away but because the face of the franchise had just been traded for a bag of chips. Luka Doncic led the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals in 2024, a feat that had not been achieved by the franchise since 2011. Despite their loss in the finals, Doncic had cemented himself as the de facto, modern-day Maverick. Seven months later he was at a press conference in Los Angeles, and the city of Dallas had lost their hero.

Oftentimes sports are disregarded in terms of their importance in cities. And yes, a finals appearance may not be as important as what your municipal government is up to, but sports bring something to cities that the daily grind of a city can’t: joy and unity. We may have our differences, we may live opposite lives, but there is something to be said about random people embracing each other after a clutch three-pointer sends their team to the next round of the playoffs. 

Many Canadian basketball fans likely remember when their team was at the centre of a franchise-altering trade. In July of 2018, the Toronto Raptors traded their franchise player, star guard Demar DeRozan to the San Antonio Spurs for Kawhi Leonard (also trading Jakob Poeltl and acquiring Danny Green in the deal). DeRozan loved the city of Toronto as much as Raptors fans loved him, and the trade stung on both ends. 

The Raptors, however, cannot possibly be considered the losers of that deal. Their single year with Leonard was the greatest of his career, and of course ended with the ultimate triumph: an NBA Championship. 

Despite the bittersweet feeling, the trade was ultimately a success for the Raptors. They gave up a beloved piece of the franchise, but the eventual return on investment was more than worth it. Unfortunately, the same hope isn’t there for the Mavericks. The entire future of the franchise, the beating heart of the team — gone like dust in the wind less than a year after a trip to the NBA Finals.

Let’s put it in Edmontonian terms and take a time machine back to 1988. Out of the blue, Wayne Gretzky was traded to the Los Angeles Kings. That sentence alone is enough to make an Edmontonian hockey fan shudder. The Oilers (and by proxy the city of Edmonton) lost the face of not just Edmonton hockey, but Canadian hockey. Gretzky delivered four Stanley Cup Championships to the city and is to this day the most beloved Edmonton athlete of all time. 

So imagine growing up with fond memories of 50-goal seasons, iconic victories, and winning hockey. Now imagine it being stolen from you in an instant. The city of Dallas is experiencing this heartbreak 37 years later.

So what’s the point?

There are Mavericks fans all over social media denouncing their fandom, proclaiming their allegiance to other teams, and slandering the team that they’ve dedicated years, if not decades, of their lives to. And who can blame them? The more that comes out about the trade, the harder it is to understand. 

Luka claims he’d never indicated that he wouldn’t resign, and Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison apparently didn’t even attempt to reach out to other teams. If management is going to treat players, fans, and the future of the organization with so little respect, why should the fans be expected to remain loyal?

Sports are a business. Every fan and player is acutely aware of that. It’s the nature of sports that certain players will elevate themselves to the status of an icon, not just within their sport but within the city they represent. To the people with the money, that may not factor in as an important aspect of the deal-making process, but it’s foolish of them not to consider it.

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Graphic by Amanda Erickson