11 Players who turned their back on the Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks continue to struggle on the defensive end of the floor, and they must get better on that end if they want to be legit contenders in the Western Conference even though they've won their last two games over the Miami Heat and Detroit Pistons.

Dallas started off extremely hot after trading for P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford, but their defense lately has been holding them back from emerging as true contenders. The fix to getting Dallas to play good defense seems to be full effort and communication, but that isn't something they have been able to get lately.

The Mavs must fully buy into head coach Jason Kidd's defensive scheme, and they could return to being a force in the Western Conference.

11 Players who turned their back on the Dallas Mavericks

Dallas is at their best when they are playing tough defense, and all hope isn't lost yet as they've looked good in their last two games.

While Dallas' focus is staying afloat in the Western Conference, here we look back at 11 players who have turned their back on the Dallas Mavericks over the years.

11. Spencer Dinwiddie

While Spencer Dinwiddie provided the Dallas Mavericks with some great memories during the 2022 NBA Playoffs and quickly became a fan favorite in Dallas, many Mavs fans soured on him earlier this season when the Mavs were pursuing him on the buyout market.

The Mavs clearly needed a backup point guard, and a Dinwiddie return to Dallas was a move that made sense for both teams. Dinwiddie played the best basketball of his career while a member of the Mavs, and if they signed him, he would have had a prominent role immediately.

The Mavs are deep in the hunt for playoff positioning in the Western Conference, and a Dinwiddie signing is something that could put them over the top. Ultimately, Dinwiddie ended up signing with the Los Angeles Lakers, and his reasoning behind choosing the Lakers over Dallas was strange.

"Let’s say you’re a kid and you get your (expletive) whupped by the bully. Dallas would have been like your mama, like, ‘It’s OK, baby,’" Dinwiddie said. "Lakers are like your dad: ‘Nah, you better go out there and fight ‘til you win.’"

Dinwiddie later explained that his reasoning was pointing towards "comfort zones" and that "the most fun in my career to date has been Dallas."

At the end of the day, his comments were a bit strange and him returning to Dallas was a move that would have considerably benefitted both sides, but he chose the Lakers over the Mavs.

Dinwiddie hasn't been great since arriving in Los Angeles, but thinks could have looked different in Dallas.

10. DeAndre Jordan

One of the strangest moments in Dallas Mavericks free agency history came in the summer of 2015.

The Mavs were coming off a first-round exit to the Houston Rockets at the end of the season prior, and they were looking to add a big man next to Dirk Nowitzki. DeAndre Jordan of the Los Angeles Clippers caught the eye of Mark Cuban and company, so they decided to pursue him.

Jordan verbally agreed to sign with the Mavs, but after hearing of this, several of the Clippers staff and players went to Jordan's house in Houston to try to sway his decision. This meeting with all of the Clippers players ultimately worked, as Jordan went back on his word and re-signed with Los Angeles.

This was not a great look for Jordan, and he was resented by Mavs fans following this move. Loud boos flooded the American Airlines Center every time that he played in Dallas, and there were reports that he wouldn't even take a call from Cuban or Chandler Parsons on the night that he was in his home in Houston with his Clippers teammates.

Jordan ended up making up for not signing with Dallas in 2015 by signing a one-year deal a few years later, but his tenure in Dallas didn't go the best either. He put up solid stats, but it seemed he was more worried about stats than playing winning basketball and the Mavs later traded him to the New York Knicks.

9. Kristaps Porzingis

During the middle of Luka Doncic's rookie year, the Dallas Mavericks traded for Kristaps Porzingis of the New York Knicks. As part of this deal, the Mavs sent a package centered around Deanadre Jordan and young guard Dennis Smith Jr. to the Knicks for Porzingis.

Doncic and Porzingis were supposed to be the next duo to dominate the Western Conference and for the Mavs to build around, but Porzingis' time in Dallas was quite forgettable. He was always battling injuries, never won a playoff series, and his fit was questionable.

All of these things don't fall directly on Porzingis, but it's clear that he could have done more to make his time in Dallas more pleasurable. He has admitted to playing his role "out of spite" during one of the Mavs' series against the Clippers in the playoffs, and he and Luka never really got along.

Porzingis didn't fully turn his back on the Mavs, but him not playing out his role to the best of his ability while having some maturity issues was not a good mix alongside Doncic to start his NBA career.

Porzingis is playing much better now, as he has the chance to contend for the NBA Finals this year with the Boston Celtics, but he will not be remembered for his time with the Mavs. Things could have gone better if both he and Doncic were more mature, but the fit was always just off.

8. Grant Williams

Last summer, the Dallas Mavericks' biggest move was a three-team sign and trade between Dallas, the San Antonio Spurs, and the Boston Celtics. Dallas gave up Reggie Bullock and a 2030 first-round pick swap, and received Williams from the Celtics.

Dallas needed a frontcourt player with some toughness who plays defense and a good shooter, and that's what Williams was expected to bring. Although he got off to a scorching hot start, things came crumbling down for Williams. He was in an awful shooting slump toward the end of his time in Dallas, and the Mavs traded him to the Charlotte Hornets for P.J. Washington. There were some reports that Dallas was tired of his "yapping" and it seems that they were set on moving him at the deadline.

After one of the Hornets games, Williams was interviewed by a reporter and there was some speculation that Williams was slightly throwing some shade at Luka Doncic and the Mavs.

"Everybody touched the ball, we trusted one another, a team that never played, practiced together, every single person seemed like they had each other's back," Williams said.

This could have just been Williams hyping up his new team, but it also wouldn't be a shock if he was throwing flack at the Mavs. He struggled tremendously on the way out, and Doncic is someone who has become notorious in the media for holding the ball too long.

The vibes were way off with Williams at the end of his time in Dallas, and the Mavs traded him at the perfect time.

7. Christian Wood

When the Dallas Mavericks traded for Christian Wood on the night of the 2022 NBA Draft, every Mavs fan was excited. Dallas traded their late first-round pick for a big man who averaged 17.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 50.1 percent from the field and 39 percent from downtown.

The Mavs were landing a big man who was dominant on offense and had great defensive stats. Mavs fans were used to seeing Dwight Powell as their starting center, and Wood looked like he was going to be the type of player that could completely transform the Mavs' frontcourt.

Despite high expectations, Wood's time in Dallas was forgettable. Even though he averaged 16.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, Wood's defense was poor despite averaging 1.1 blocks per game.

He also didn't give good effort and despite having good chemistry with Luka Doncic, he didn't seem fully engaged with his role of coming off the bench.

Dallas was even trying to move him at the trade deadline last season, and he has had some maturity issues throughout his career. It was clear right when the season ended that Wood wouldn't be returning, and he ended up signing with the Los Angeles Lakers.

6. Kyle Kuzma

Before the 2024 NBA trade deadline, the Dallas Mavericks' top two trade priorities were P.J. Washington and Kyle Kuzma. Dallas was looking for a forward with size who could create off the dribble, but one of the aforementioned players fits this description better than the other.

Kuzma is 6-foot-9 and is extremely gifted as a scorer for his size. He can create for his teammates or himself and light up the scoreboard. Dallas remained interested in Kuzma leading up to the trade deadline, and there was a deal in place that would have sent Kuzma to Dallas.

When asked by the Washington Wizards if Kuzma wanted to be traded to Dallas, Kuzma decided to stay in Washington. Kuzma said that his timeline and Dallas' timeline didn't line up, and maybe he wanted to continue to be the man in Washington rather than being the third option in Dallas.

Kuzma would have had a chance to contend this year, but he wanted to remain on the Wizards. He wanted to stay loyal to the team that he had been on for the past few years, but it would have been fun to see Kuzma play next to Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

Dallas ended up landing a much better defender as they traded for P.J. Washington, and maybe the Mavs and Wizards will revisit these trade talks at some point in the future.

5. Rajon Rondo

One of the Dallas Mavericks' biggest trades of the last 10 years was when they traded for Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics.

Dallas was already having a great season, and they traded for Rondo to solidify their point guard spot and to help them make a deep playoff push. Despite the sky-high expectations that seemingly everyone had when the team traded for Rondo, his time in Dallas was an absolute disaster.

During his time as a Maverick, Rondo averaged 9.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 43.6 percent from the field and 35.2 percent from downtown. His stats don't look bad, but everything behind the scenes was awful. He also got into arguments multiple times with head coach Rick Carlisle and didn't fit well into the offense.

During the 2015 NBA Playoffs, Rondo quit on his team during game two against the Houston Rockets, and didn't play for the remainder of the playoffs due to a "back injury." It seems like the real reason Rondo wasn't playing was due to the friction between him and Carlisle combined with his poor play, but he insists that his back was injured.

Rondo clearly didn't want to be on the Mavs at the end of his tenure, and he was arguably one of the biggest disappointments in Mavs history.

4. Dennis Rodman

The Dallas Mavericks signed Dennis Rodman during the middle of the 1999-2000 NBA season, and fans couldn't wait to see "The Worm" suit up for Dallas. Before his time with Dallas, Rodman was a five-time NBA Champion, two-time All-Star, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, and was on an All-NBA team twice.

Rodman was going to play the five next to Dirk Nowitzki, and the Mavs had won nine of the previous 13 games leading up to signing Rodman. He was supposed to help push this team over the top, but Dallas nosedived after acquiring Rodman.

Rodman lived with Mark Cuban in his guest house during his time in Dallas, and the Mavs players voted on if they wanted him on the team. The players voted yes, but Rodman's time as a player couldn't come soon enough.

Rodman was showing no effort, and he didn't want to be there in the first place. In Rodman's 12 games with the Mavs, he was ejected multiple times, received plenty of technical fouls, and even was suspended for one game.

Dirk Nowitzki even detailed a story before Rodman's first game in Dallas in which he took a shower during the team's film session. He also wouldn't be with the team after games and would go lift weights at the arena instead.

He was never a good fit in Dallas, and he retired from the NBA after his short stint in Big D.

3. Derek Fisher

The Dallas Mavericks signed Derek Fisher in November of the 2012-13 season as the team's point guard spot was running thin. Dallas needed some experience at the one, so they decided to sign five-time NBA Champion Fisher. Although signing the veteran point guard seemed like a great move at the time, his time in Dallas was forgettable, and Mavs fans were not fans of Fisher after his time in Dallas came to an end.

Fisher played nine games for the Mavs and averaged 8.6 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 35.4 percent from the field and 43.5 percent from downtown. He requested a release from the team to spend more time with his family following a knee injury but then signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder just a few months later.

Fisher being in Dallas slowed down Darren Collison'ss development as the starting point guard, and he clearly didn't like coming off the bench. Although Fisher stands by his decision to request a release, but signing with the Thunder later that season was a stab in the back for the Mavs.

Dallas believed in Fisher, signed him, and then he requested to be released after just nine games when things got hard. That's a bad look for Fisher, and Mavs fans haven't forgiven Fisher for this.

2. Lamar Odom

The Dallas Mavericks traded for Lamar Odom before the start of the 2011-12 season, and his time as a Maverick was a disaster. He was expected to be a big piece for the Mavs, as they were coming off their first-ever NBA Finals win, but rather than helping, Odom hurt this team.

In one season for Dallas, Odom averaged 6.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game while shooting 35.2 percent from the field and 25.2 percent from downtown. This was following a season in which he was extremely productive for the Los Angeles Lakers, as he averaged 14.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game. He won the Sixth Man of the Year that season and was expected to do big things as a Mav.

Odom never lived up to his expectations, and there were several things that happened in Dallas that didn't make sense. At one point, Odom stepped away from the team for a personal issue, which was to be with his "ill" father. It was later reported that Odom's father was fine.

Odom was never committed to being a Dallas Maverick, and there were clearly things going on behind the scenes that led to this major nosedive. He then stepped away from the team in April.

1. Nerlens Noel

During the 2016-17 NBA season, the Dallas Mavericks traded for Philadelphia 76ers big man Nerlens Noel. Dallas gave up Andrew Bogut, Justin Anderson, and a protected first-round pick. The Mavs made this deal with the goal of signing him on a long contract that summer, but Noel's time in Dallas got weird quickly.

In his first season with the team, Noel averaged 8.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game. This was a solid season for Noel, especially being a mid-season trade acquisition, but a decision that Noel made that summer as a restricted free agent changed everything.

The Mavs offered Noel a four-year, $70 million contract, and Noel and his camp denied this deal and pushed for a max contract. Dallas didn't want to pay that, and he ended up re-signing with Dallas on a qualifying offer.

This was an awful decision by Noel, and Dallas should be thankful that they didn't sign him on a long-term contract. Noel was not a major piece of the rotation and opted to get surgery on his thumb when he probably didn't need surgery. He was also suspended for violating the NBA's anti-drug policy.

Noel and Rick Carlisle also didn't seem to get along very well, as Noel didn't know why he was removed from the rotation and even went to the media dining room during halftime of a game to get a hot dog.

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