5 Controversial ex-Mavericks that fans would never welcome back to Dallas

The Dallas Mavericks have had one of the most unprecedented turnarounds of any major sports team in history, as they dug themselves out of the mud by lucking into Cooper Flagg after trading Luka Doncic in February. Recent history has been a blur for Mavericks fans with how the last few months have gone down, so what better of a time than the middle of the offseason to reflect over some Mavericks from the past decade that the fanbase would never welcome back, as many fans have been praying for Doncic to comeback one day, even though that seems like a slim possibility at this point.

5 former Mavericks the fanbase would never welcome back to Dallas

Without further ado, here are 5 Mavericks the fanbase would never welcome back in any capacity.

Honorable Mention: Christian Wood

Right before the 2022-23 season began, Christian Wood was being lauded as a dynamic threat next to Doncic, as he was the best rim-rolling big that Doncic had the opportunity to play with up to that point. Wood had his flashes in Dallas and started the season playing extremely well offensively, but his liabilities on the defensive end left him in a shaky position in the rotation with head coach Jason Kidd, who never even signed off on the Wood trade in the first place. Wood wouldn't be a terrible pick-and-roll/pop big off the bench for Dallas at this juncture in his career, but his fit was clunky, and many portions of the fanbase were left unfulfilled with his tenure in Dallas.

5. Kristaps Porzingis

When Kristaps Porzingis was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in February of 2019, Mavericks fans gawked over a European superstar duo of Doncic and Porzingis for years to come, but Porzingis' Dallas tenure didn't go according to plan.

Porzingis, like Wood, showed some extreme flashes of becoming one of the most dynamic bigs in the league. However, he wasn't able to use his height well offensively while in Dallas, as he wasn't a sufficient source as an offensive creator and was injured far too often for as young as he was with the Mavericks. Porzingis has developed into an elite rim protector and has since won a championship, but the vibes he gave off in Dallas are so bad that Mavericks fans probably don't ever want him back.

4. Tim Hardaway Jr.

Tim Hardaway Jr. competed at a very high level for the Mavericks for five and a half seasons, but fans had gripes with Hardaway Jr. for some of his on-court tendencies. Hardaway Jr. is still a player who can fill it up if he gets hot from outside, but he can be reluctant to swing the rock at times and takes bad shots.

He'll be playing a reserve role for the Denver Nuggets next season, and while Mavericks fans appreciated his hustle and shotmaking ability, they probably want to relieve themselves of his shot-chucking in future seasons.

3. Nerlens Noel

Nerlens Noel came to Dallas with a lot of promise in 2017, as he was a high-flying and two-way big that was coming over from a crowded front court in Philadelphia, and Noel gave fans a lot of hope after his last 22 games with Dallas in the 2016-17 season.

However, Noel's next season with Dallas was disastrous, as he missed 42 games due to being suspended for an anti-drug violation and tearing a ligament in his thumb earlier in the season. There was also the infamous hotdog gate incident with Noel, as he had one of the worst seasons in his career in Dallas in 2017-18, and fans would probably feel weird about him coming back as a reserve center in Dallas if he ever did.

2. Lamar Odom

Coming off winning Sixth Man of the Year with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2010-11 season, 32-year-old Lamar Odom was tasked with helping the Mavericks defend their title when he was traded to Dallas shortly before the start of the 2011-12 season. Odom shot very inefficiently through 50 games in Dallas, though, and his commitment to the team seemed to be wavering all season long, as a verbal altercation with Mark Cuban toward the end of the season ended up being his final straw in Dallas.

It was later revealed that Odom was struggling through mental health issues while in Dallas, which makes his struggles far more understandable, but Mavericks fans still probably wouldn't want Odom back with the organization in any capacity.

1. Rajon Rondo

Rajon Rondo is easily the most infamous Mavericks to ever don the blue and white, as Rondo is a Hall of Fame point guard and one of the best of all time, but his inability to gel with then head coach Rick Carlisle led to a tumultuous ending in Dallas.

Rondo never reached the level of playmaking and shot creation with Dallas that he displayed with the Boston Celtics, but furthermore, he quit on the Mavericks during Game 2 of their first-round series versus the Houston Rockets that season, evidenced by one of the most nonchalant eight-second violations in NBA history. Rondo is undoubtedly a basketball mastermind, but he didn't do well under Carlisle, and this played into his effort level and buy-in, which is why Mavericks fans would never want him back in Dallas in any capacity.