Skip to main content
Join

Luka Doncic trade: Outraged Dallas Mavericks fans take protests to new level at first home game back

ns_headshot_2024-clearby:Nick Schultz•02/08/25•

NickSchultz_7

Luka Doncic
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Saturday marks the Dallas Mavericks’ first game back since the trade that rocked the NBA. It will mark Anthony Davis’ team debut and the first home matchup without Luka Doncic, who was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in the blockbuster move.

Frustration mounted around general manager Nico Harrison around the decision to trade Doncic, the 25-year-old face of the franchise. Fans are making their voices heard Saturday outside American Airlines Center, too, and took their outrage to a new level during a protest.

Chants of “Fire Nico” broke out as the Mavericks got ready to take on the Houston Rockets. In addition, signs of “sell the team” were also seen amid the pregame gathering.

Additionally, digital billboards went up around the Dallas area, as well. One said Doncic “was supposed to have a statue.”

According to ESPN’s Tim McMahon, Harrison received death threats after the trade went down ahead of the deadline. As a result, security is increasing for the Mavericks’ first home game since it happened.

McMahon confirmed the protests which were planned outside the American Airlines Center prior to the Mavs’ matchup against the Rockets on Saturday. Harrison also won’t be sitting with the fans, as he usually does, amid the increased protection.

“Listen, this is a heartbroken fan base and there have been some very unfortunate developments regarding that anger, that angst,” McMahon said Friday on NBA Today. “Nico Harrison has been subjected to death threats. There have been racial epithets included in some of those. Certainly, security’s going to be beefed up. There will be protests outside the arena – those are planned. Security will absolutely be beefed up.

“Nico Harrison is not going to be in his normal seat in the stands. There’s no reason to subject him to that kind of a security risk. That has been, definitely, an unfortunate part of this whole storyline. Obviously, the fans’ anger, hey, they have every right to feel like they got a generational superstar ripped away from them. But, clearly, lines have been crossed.”

Luka Doncic’s trade sent a shockwave across the NBA as the Mavericks sent him to the Lakers in exchange for Davis and Max Christie, while the Utah Jazz received Jalen Hood-Schifino and two 2025 second-round picks to help facilitate the move. Some wondered if Charania was hacked after first posting the news on X, but the other insiders quickly confirmed it was in the works.

Doncic will not make his Lakers debut Saturday as initially planned, though. Instead, that’s expected to happen Monday when Los Angeles takes on the Jazz at Crypto.com Arena.