FRISCO - While Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has experienced a slow burn of criticism the last 30 years, a five-alarm blaze recently reduced the Dallas Mavericks into a smoldering afterthought.
The unfathomable trade of 25-year-old superstar Luka Doncic - fresh off leading his team to the NBA Finals - sent DFW sports fans through two stages of grief: anger, then apathy. Fans who began the season with championship hopes have turned their back on an organization now attempting to drum up passion for the Mavs to merely sneak into the Play-In Tournament.
Yawn.
Trading Luka for an aging star in Anthony Davis and only one first-round draft pick was illogical, and Mavs' co-owner Patrick Dumont saying Luka needed to work harder like - not Dallas icon Dirk Nowitzki - but rather "Shaq" is only escalated the discontent.
To make matters even worse, Davis suffered a serious injury in his first game and is only now returning to the court for the final 10, mostly meaningless games.
The team kicked fans out of American Airlines Center for having the audacity to bring signs that read "Fire Nico!" in reference to general manager Nico Harrison. Bottom line: It's the worst trade in Mavs history, easily outdistancing Jason Kidd to the Phoenix Suns.
While the Cowboys have made their share of fantastic swaps - Herschel Walker and Charles Haley quickly come to mind in setting up three Super Bowls in the 1990s - Jones has already taken his fair share of heat for botched trades through the years.
Off the top of our heads, giving up a fourth-round pick for failed quarterback Trey Lance wasn't so spiffy. And exchanging a fourth-rounder for unproven receiver Jonathan Mingo while the Washington Commanders acquired former Pro Bowler Deebo Samuel for a fifth seems way out of whack. (By the way, the fourth-round pick the Cowboys sent the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for Lance turned into safety Malik Mustapha, who started the final 12 games. Ouch.)
Speaking - yet again - of receivers, giving the Raiders a first-round pick for Amari Cooper in 2018 and then trading him to the Cleveland Browns for only a fifth-rounder in 2022 is an aarmingly significant net loss.
But deciding on the Cowboys' "Luka" trade - the worst in franchise history - comes down to two debacle deals: Joey Galloway vs. Roy Williams.
In 2000, Jones was desperately clinging to the last, gasping breaths of his 1990s dynasty. Emmitt Smith was a 31-year-old running back in decline. Troy Aikman was one more concussion from retirement. And Michael Irvin had just been forced to retire because of a neck injury.
In a desperate move to resuscitate the offense, Jerry traded two first-round draft picks to the Seahawks in exchange for speedy receiver Joey Galloway. The results were disastrous.
Galloway suffered a torn ACL in his first game, paving the way for a 5-11 season that ended in Aikman's retirement. He produced 2,279 yards receiving and 11 touchdowns over three seasons before being traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2004 for Keyshawn Johnson.
One of the picks sent to Seattle turned into running back Shaun Alexander, who set an NFL record for touchdowns in a season and later won MVP.
Oh, and one more thing: Word is that Seattle was giving a thumbs-up on taking one first-rounder … when Jerry - unprovoked - out of the blue offered two first-round picks.
The deal for Williams in 2008, however, might have been even worse.
Trying to add weapons for ascending quarterback Tony Romo, Jerry traded three picks - a first, third and sixth - to the Lions for Williams. The transaction was amplified when Jones immediately signed the receiver to a six-year, $54 million contract that irked Terrell Owens.
In his two-plus seasons in Dallas, Williams never topped 600 yards receiving or caught more than seven touchdowns. He was ultimately beat out of a job by undrafted free agent Miles Austin and unconditionally cut by the Cowboys in 2011.
