Mavericks slapped with brutal title right as Flagg era starts thanks to Nico Harrison

Dallas Mavericks fans have had a wild past 12 months.

Last June, the Mavericks lost in the NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics. While the Mavs were unable to win their second title, the future was bright. With the exception of Kyrie Irving, the team was young and poised to improve with time. In February, Mavs GM Nico Harrison went rogue and traded a 25-year-old Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis, who was 31. While the move makes some sense short term, the future of the Mavericks was used as collateral for a foolish gamble on winning a title in the next few years.

In response, Mavs fans and the NBA community at large launched perhaps the largest public firing campaign in sports history, with even neutral fans joining the movement. The Mavs have historically fostered a respectful community of fans, but the Doncic trade broke the fanbase. A Vegas Insider study revealed that Mavs fans were among the most foul-mouthed in the league this season, with over 7 percent of Reddit comments containing profanity.

New study exposes the disastrous effects of the Luka Doncic trade

Last month, the Mavs' trajectory changed once again when they won the lottery and the chance to draft Cooper Flagg. Flagg is a rare prospect due to his generational upside and ability to make an immediate impact on a winning team. Still, the emotional damage from Harrison's disastrous trade deadline and the catastrophic PR after the trade to Dallas fans is now quantifiable.

In addition to being the fourth most foul-mouthed in the NBA, Mavs fans were crowned with the most negative fan base title. There is only one plausible explanation for this development: the events of the past year jaded the fanbase to the point that only winning the lottery could repair.

Despite losing in the Finals, most Mavs fans were proud of the 2023-24 season. The team was not projected by pundits to be Finals contenders, yet the Mavs proved that the Kyrie Irving-Doncic core was capable of bringing a title to Dallas. Some moves around the margins would be necessary to maximize their potential and balance the roster, but surely the best was still to come.

Harrison and the Mavs' front office then made two fatal mistakes.

Immediately after winning the title, it was reported that Mark Cuban, who had recently sold his majority stake in the Mavericks, was no longer in control of basketball operations. The move had a mixed response at the time. Cuban is a franchise legend who had an excellent track record as an executive, yet the lack of clear-cut responsibilities can lead to a dysfunctional organization. With the benefit of hindsight, the Mavs clearly should have kept Cuban in charge.

The second blunder of the year was the Doncic trade. The trade simply made no sense. Even if you believe that the Mavs have a better chance of winning a title with Davis than Doncic, Davis is seven years older and has an alarming injury history. To only receive Max Christie and a bad first-round pick is executive malpractice considering the age, injury, and talent disparity. In seven months, the Mavs had shunned two franchise legends: Doncic and Cuban.

Every franchise hits rough patches, but the fall from grace the Mavericks experienced devastated the fanbase in a way that is now measurable. The Flagg news has righted the ship in Dallas, with fans returning to their normal competitive yet respectful demeanor. Still, the scars from the past 12 months will haunt Mavs fans for the foreseeable future.