Bleacher Report’s latest list of the five worst NBA trades over the last five seasons put a fresh spotlight on a deal Mavericks fans still can’t escape: Dallas sending Luka Doncic away, which landed at No. 1.
For plenty of Mavericks supporters, the trade was the breaking point. Some walked away entirely after the team moved off a top-five player in the middle of his prime, a decision that’s hard to square for anyone trying to stay attached to the franchise. Those who have stayed have mostly shifted their attention to what comes next, especially Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving sharing the floor for the first time to open the upcoming season.
But no matter how much Dallas tries to move on, the Doncic deal is going to keep hanging over the organization. The Mavericks and governor Patrick Dumont have already cleaned house around it, with Dallas now looking almost completely different in the coaching staff and front office from the group in place when the trade happened, outside of Michael Finley.
Still, the reminder never really disappears. Whether it’s Doncic lighting up the Mavericks at the American Airlines Center, the trade coming up on a TV debate show, or a ranking like Bleacher Report’s, fans are going to keep getting pulled back to Nico Harrison’s decision in early February of 2025.
The blow has eased a bit since the immediate fallout, and Dallas at least caught a major break in the 2025 NBA Draft by landing Flagg with the No. 1 pick. He projects as an All-NBA caliber player and a franchise centerpiece, the kind of talent the Mavericks needed after losing Doncic.
Bleacher Report’s placement of the trade at No. 1 is hard to argue with, because the deal only looked worse as last season went on. The Anthony Davis piece never helped the optics, either. Davis appeared in just 29 total games for Dallas and turned in his least durable season in an injury-plagued career at age 33.
Dallas should never have sent out a superstar in his prime for an aging star in Davis and only one first-round pick. Even so, the Mavericks have tried to move forward, and the franchise is clearly hoping the next chapter looks nothing like the one Harrison left behind. With new team president Masai Ujiri in place, the expectation is that he will not trade away a franchise player like Flagg.
In Other News...
Kyrie Irving Suddenly Faces Massive Stakes In His Mavericks Return
Kyrie Irvings return to the Mavericks is shaping up as one of the more closely watched storylines around the team entering the season, not just because of what he can still do on the floor, but because of what his next stretch of basketball could mean for Dallas bigger picture. Irving has not played since March 2025 after his ACL injury, and the Mavericks are reportedly taking a patient approach as they assess both his health and his fit once he is back in action.
There is also a financial layer here that makes every step matter, with Irving attached to a significant contract and a player option for the 2027-28 season. Dallas wants to see whether he can work his way back to a level close to his All-Star peak, because a strong return would give the front office more flexibility down the line, while a slow or uneven one leaves the team with a far different set of decisions as the season unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Fans May Not Like Morez Johnson Jr.'s Rookie Outlook
Morez Johnson Jr. arrived in Dallas with plenty of promise after going ninth overall in June, and the Mavericks made clear why they valued him. General manager Mike Schmitz pointed to Johnsons intangible qualities and the way his skill set fits with the roster, while the rookie has also benefited from some built-in comfort thanks to his familiarity with new coach Dusty Mays offense. He got a look in Summer League, too, giving the team a first impression before the real work of integrating him begins.
The early outlook, though, suggests patience may be part of the plan. Bleacher Reports Zach Buckley expects Johnson to have a lighter role than most top-10 picks, a reminder that Dallas already has several frontcourt and wing pieces competing for time and development priorities to balance. Johnsons Summer League stint also did not run as long as the Mavericks would have liked, which only adds to the sense that his rookie season may be more about managing expectations than immediate production. [Read more 🡒]
Jason Kidds Viral Mavs Comment Sounds Worse Than It Was
Jason Kidds name still carries a lot of weight in Dallas, especially when the conversation turns to the 2011 championship run and the franchises only title. So when a recent interview clip started making the rounds, his comment about the Mavericks getting lucky against LeBron James and the Miami Heat was bound to land with a little extra force, even if it came from the same dry, self-aware humor that has always been part of Kidds public persona.
The reaction was predictable enough, with some fans bristling at anything that might sound like a slight on that title team. But the full context suggests Kidd was speaking lightly, not trying to undercut what the Mavericks accomplished, and the tone of the exchange points more toward a joke than a verdict on a championship that still means plenty in Dallas. [Read more 🡒]