Since drafting Dirk Nowitzki and building around the German star to create one of the league's most impressive teams throughout the 2000s, the Dallas Mavericks have stood for loyalty. Like many other franchises, the Mavericks have had multiple opportunities to jump ship and enter an ultimate rebuild, but when the team traded up in the draft for Luka Doncic in 2018, every fan knew they hit the jackpot.
Since Doncic's first game in the NBA, it was clear he was going to be the next face of the Mavericks and possibly the next phenom of the entire NBA. While there is still time for the Slovenian to make a splash as the face of the league, Nico Harrison and the Mavericks front office tragically traded him away to the Los Angeles Lakers in a move that has been labeled as one of the worst trades in sports history.
Loyalty has no doubt become a sensitive word for Mavericks fans, but it's clear that Doncic still believes in the idea of loyalty despite being on a new team.
Doncic's loyalty is something the Mavericks gave away for nothing
After the recent historic sale of the Los Angeles Lakers, Doncic was quick to give his appreciation to the former owners and how he is looking forward to the opportunity to work with the new ownership group. Doncic also mentioned how amazing the Lakers organization has become since welcoming him in on such short notice and how he is looking forward to multiple winning championships while in Los Angeles.
This silences the narrative that Doncic will opt out of his player option next summer and look to sign elsewhere (for now), the the pipe dream of him making a Mavericks return one day is completely out of the picture, unless something changes in Dallas.
Loyalty in a star player is something that only comes once every two decades, and with only a few players in the league at a time. With Harrison and the Mavericks trading away Doncic for virtually nothing, this could be a curse that will haunt fans for many years to come, despite winning the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes and redeeming the Doncic trade.
While Nowitzki has embodied what it means to be loyal to a city and a fan base, he and the Mavericks have had a falling out since trading away Doncic, which is a telling aspect of how badly Harrison messed things up between former players when he traded Doncic and fired former athletic trainer Casey Smith with no regard.
Moving forward, Harrison must do everything in his power to learn from his enexcusable mistake of trading Doncic away and keep Flagg happy no matter what. Flagg will instantly become the next face of the franchise for many years to come, and Harrison has expressed interest in the past that he only expects to be the general manager of the Mavericks for a short period and win as many championships in the coming window.
While this might sound great on the outside, Harrison has shown he will do anything possible to achieve that goal, even if it means trading the face of the franchise. It's unclear how the Mavericks' owners view Harrison's long-term future with the Mavericks organization, but it's safe to assume he will have a short leash if he can't execute on his promises.
Flagg was no doubt a gift from the basketball gods that the Mavericks never deserved, but it's important the team realizes how lucky they are and must not recreate the Doncic fallout.
