One thing every Dallas Maverick fan can agree upon is that the Mavs have been on a wild six-month roller coaster that can't be rivaled by any other franchise. From what was ignited by injuries to some of the Mavericks' key players, to shockingly trading Luka Doncic, and finally winning the NBA's Draft Lottery and the right to select Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick.
While the offseason generally means news will start to slow down, it has been the opposite for the Mavericks and their fans. With the addition of Flagg in next month's NBA Draft, it has only brought more buzz to Dallas, and for the first time in months, the Mavericks have been on the positive side of news.
With Flagg's addition, there is no doubt more hype surrounding the Mavericks, but despite the influx of positivity, Mavericks fans were recently found to be the league's most negative fanbase according to Vegas Insider.
Nico Harrison shattered the trust Mavericks fans once had
In a Reddit poll that analyzed some of the worst fan bases in terms of swear words, foul-mouthed comments, and negative comments, the Mavericks were leaps and bounds above any other franchise in terms of negativity. To no fan's surprise, 32.41 percent of all comments related to the Mavericks on Reddit were considered negative: the next closest team was the Boston Celtics, with 31.73 percent of all comments being negative.
While this number may jump off the page, a large percentage of these comments were likely made after Doncic was traded to the Lakers. With little to no hope surrounding the Mavericks after trading Doncic, it's no surprise that Mavs fans led all fanbases for negative comments in the NBA.
It might not seem like a far-fetched reality that Mavericks fans could be considered one of the most negative fan bases when you factor in that Doncic was traded without warning and for little to nothing in return. While the Mavericks still remain competitive with the addition of Flagg, the fallout from the Doncic trade is still being felt every day.
It's unclear when Mavericks fans will once again embrace the team, but it will likely require Nico Harrison being fired before the fan base can truly move on. Harrison no doubt acted cowardly when he traded Doncic without consulting any Mavericks brass about their feelings, which is largely the reason Harrison would likely need to be fired before fans can fully move on.
Acquiring Flagg is a step in the right direction for members of the Mavericks, but with very little trust between fans and the team, it will probably be a few years into the Flagg era before fans can embrace the future face of the franchise.
Similarly to Doncic, Flagg will bring an energy to the arena that will be sure to get fans on their feet. While the team has a lot of work to do this offseason to find a guard who can replace half of what Kyrie Irving brings to the team while he remains sidelined, Flagg's progression will be one of the constant talking points throughout the year.
Watching Doncic blossom into the star he has become today was one of the many reasons fans felt as connected to him as they did. Now, with Flagg soon joining the Mavs, fans will have the chance to rebuild that connection with another fan-favorite caliber player.
