Former Mavericks coach throws salt on wound of post-Luka Doncic disaster

When the Dallas Mavericks traded away Luka Doncic, it not only came on such short notice as the lead-up to Doncic's departure wasn't heavily covered, and fans didn't believe that he could be traded, but it was also a clear message to the league that Nico Harrison was willing to do everything it took to make the Mavericks his team. Trading Doncic in the fashion he did was seen as a cut-throat move for dominance in a team that had just had a regime shift after Mark Cuban sold the majority of the Mavericks the following year.

Following the shocking trade of Dallas' franchise superstar, the Mavericks (off the record) would go on a tour of tarnishing Doncic's name by calling him overweight and not the hard worker that is needed to win championships. In return, the Mavericks would receive a future first-round pick, Max Christie, and superstar power forward Anthony Davis from the Los Angeles Lakers, who would end up getting hurt in his debut game with the team.

While the Doncic trade was all that was talked about in the sports world for weeks, the following moves that the Mavericks would take indicated that the franchise was headed in a very different direction. Not only would Jason Kidd's coaching staff nearly leave in full at the end of the season, but former Mavericks assistant coach, God Shammgod, recently went on the "It Is What It Is" show to detail his experience over the last few months in Dallas.

Shammgod's comments expose how dysfunctional Dallas was

As a Maverick, Shammgod oversaw the player development side of coaching and, more in particular, on the offensive end of the ball. Throughout his career, Shammgod spent nine seasons as a member of the Mavericks and, throughout that time, established himself as one of the top player development coaches in the entire NBA.

While Shammgod was heavily respected around the league, the tide turned around the Mavericks the instant Harrison traded away Doncic in the fashion he did.

"The thing about Dallas was, it was just getting spooky times, man. I love Dallas, and I’m cool with everyone that’s over there,” Shammgod said. “When the thing [Dončić trade] went down, it was one of those things, if someone treats your man like that, it’s a countdown.”

Shammgod's comments not only proved that everyone on that staff was a ticking time bomb before their time as a member of the Mavericks was up, but his comments may have a deeper meaning. Over the last year, Harrison had been doing everything possible to get a strong grip on the team and who could be trusted, and that started with the sudden firing of longtime Mavericks head trainer Casey Smith in the summer of 2023.

Smith's sudden termination should have rung more alarm bells for fans and members of the team, but it wasn't until the Doncic trade went down that fans realized there was turmoil within the franchise. Shammgod's departure to join the Orlando Magic and every other assistant coach's exodus proved there was more going on behind the scenes than what was originally reported.

Nobody can blame Shammgod for leaving when he did, as he joined a team looking to make a splash in the Eastern Conference, but he, without a doubt, exposed what may have been going down behind the scenes between the Mavericks' coaching staff and front office.

While the Mavericks retooled around Jason Kidd and surrounded him with some popular names on the coaching market, Shammgod's comments are still salt in the wound of any fan still mourning the Doncic trade.