Ever since the Luka Doncic trade went down just over two weeks ago, Dallas Mavericks fans have been furious that the team gave up on their 25-year-old superstar before he hit his prime. Doncic had just led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals last season, and they traded him out of nowhere to the Los Angeles Lakers in a deal for Anthony Davis.
Mavericks fans' anger over this move led to a protest outside of the American Airlines Center last Saturday before their game against the Houston Rockets, and the protests continued inside of every home game that Dallas has played in since the trade.
While some of these protests have been crazier than others, the most notable night of protesting was last Monday night when the Mavericks played the Sacramento Kings. Multiple fans were ejected from this game over holding various signs and participating in chants, and it seems like Dallas had a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to this type of stuff at the time of the ejections.
The ejections on Monday night caused an uproar among Mavericks fans, with many fans thinking that these fans shouldn't have been ejected for voicing their opinions.
Kidd understands what Mavericks fans are going through
When Jason Kidd was asked about the fans and what's fair for them to say while at the games last week, he didn't hold back and gave his uncut thoughts about what it's like to be on the floor when stuff like this is going on and how it should be handled.
"They have a right to speak on what they believe," Kidd said. "I think it’s fair, that’s why they’re fans. They paid to come watch the game. As long as it’s not disturbing the next fan that’s come to watch the game and cheer the guys on."
Kidd said that he and the players are so locked in on the game that they don't even hear the booing, and he knows that these fans were not booing because of how the team has been playing. They have been finding ways to win games against good teams, even with their depth being as bad as it is due to injuries, and the fan base is furious at the organization, not the players on the floor.
Kidd understands how much the fan base loved Doncic, and he noted how these fans are "dealing with grief," (quoting some of the other players), and he thinks that they have a right to voice their opinions as they paid for their tickets. He made it clear that these fans can't take it too far and disturb the people around them, but it sounds like he gets where the fans are coming from during this time.
Kidd coming out and being able to meet the fans where they are was major for the organization, as the tone-deafness from Nico Harrison's end during the press conference on the day after the move frustrated fans. It didn't seem like Harrison understood the full magnitude of the move that he made, but the same can't be said about Kidd.
