Mavericks were blatantly backstabbing Luka Doncic months before the trade went down

The Dallas Mavericks will finally welcome Luka Doncic back home on Wednesday. The team will face the Los Angeles Lakers in a pivotal matchup, with the end of the regular season being less than a week away. This is an important matchup for Dallas, as it is the first time the team welcomes its former star home. The Mavs desperately need the win if they hope to keep their playoff chances alive. They remain one game back from the Sacramento Kings for the ninth-place spot in the Play-In Tournament.

However, even if Dallas makes the play-in, they'd have to win two games to make the playoffs. This would be a strain for Anthony Davis, as he will be the team's sole star. Dallas lost Kyrie Irving last month to an ACL tear, and making the playoffs without him would be a huge blow. He was the heart and soul of the team after the Doncic trade.

No offense to Davis, but it wasn't until he partnered with LeBron James that he advanced in the playoffs. So, it would be hard to see him help Dallas make a deep run on his own. Offensively, Davis has been great for Dallas. He has shown flashes of his old self, scoring inside and knocking down mid-range shots. His defense has also been solid, but it's fair to say it's not at the level that Mavs fans expect out of a healthy Davis.

Davis' passing numbers have also taken a hit. He has tallied two assists over the past two games. Against the LA Clippers, Davis had zero assists. In the prior game, he scored 34 points against the Atlanta Hawks but finished with two assists. This is the difference between Davis and Luka Doncic. Doncic can make his teammates better and excels at getting his counterparts involved. His teammate's productivity increases whenever he is on the floor. Doncic is currently averaging 6.3 assists per game this month.

Mavericks' double-cross of Doncic just keeps getting uglier

Doncic's former teammates, Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford, excelled whenever their former guard was on the court. Doncic's expertise in the pick-and-roll game helped open up opportunities for Lively II and Gafford. He assisted in helping the two centers become elite finishers, as it was expected he would create a partnership of a lifetime.

The expectation was that Doncic would be a Dallas Maverick for life. All signs pointed to him signing a supermax contract extension and finishing his career in Dallas like Mavericks great Dirk Nowitzki. Doncic's officials even hinted at the idea. They outlined how Doncic was trying to buy a new home in Dallas, signaling he wanted to close out his career with the team he started with.

NBA insider Marc Stein detailed in his latest piece that Doncic had begun searching for a new home in Dallas long before he was traded. He was set to close on a new place by late February, and the Mavs were aware of all of this (subscription required). At the end of 2024, Doncic's previous home had been burglarized. He was ready to continue building a foundation in Dallas and remain the main star of the organization, as he found somewhere that he thought was going to be his long-term home.

"Lara Beth Seager, chief brand officer and business manager for Dončić, notified the Mavericks in January of their plan, which had not been made public, to list Dončić's current home for sale and quietly secure him a new residence, reaffirming his desire to be and stay a Maverick in the process," Stein reported. "Congratulations were conveyed from the organization to Dončić on his looming purchase and move."

In simple terms, the Mavs understood that Doncic had been house-hunting. Dallas understood his intentions and knew he wanted to be a Maverick long into the future. However, they were secretly having trade talks with the Los Angeles Lakers to get him out of town. This was a backstabbing move, as Doncic had put his whole heart into the team. Dallas congratulated Doncic on finding a new home, and little did he know that they were going to be the reason that he never got to live in this house.

Before being traded, Doncic built a fabulous resume in Dallas. He was a five-time NBA All-Star and 2024 NBA scoring champion. Doncic helped the Mavs reach the NBA finals last season and was awarded the Western Conference Finals MVP. Doncic was blindsided and unaware that halfway through the following season, he would be traded to the Lakers. It was a life-changing move that forced him to start his housing-hunting search all over again, except in a different city.

The Mavericks must now face the repercussions of the trade, as Doncic is headed to Dallas for the first time since the backstabbing moment. Mavs fans hope he plays nicely and does not go off for a monstrous game. Emotions will run high as Dallas hopes to upset Doncic's return.