Salt rubbed into Mavericks' Luka Doncic trade wound as 'betrayal' hits new low

When people think of the biggest betrayals in Dallas Mavericks history, the Luka Doncic trade is the first one that every fan thinks of, and a new Bleacher Report article would agree.

Recently, Lee Escobedo of Bleacher Report wrote an article titled "Ranking the 30 Worst Sports Betrayals of All Time After Lane Kiffin's LSU Deal." In what might be a shocking ranking to some people, Escobedo ranked the Doncic trade the second-worst betrayal in sports history in his article.

There's no denying that the Doncic trade is still repeatedly talked about, considering the position the Mavericks are in now, along with the fact that he's thriving with the Los Angeles Lakers. Simply put, the trade looks worse every day, and Mavericks fans are never going to get over it.

Dallas sports fans were unforgivably betrayed by the Doncic trade

Escobedo based each betrayal in his piece on the "betrayer" and the "betrayed." Escobedo named Nico Harrison as the betrayer and "every single person in Dallas" as the betrayed. That is hard to think about, but it's the truth for all Dallas citizens. Harrison tore the fanbase's heart out, and nothing the Mavericks can do will ever heal this hole.

"The first sound was the low hum of 'Fire Nico' drifting across the pavement outside American Airlines Center, followed by a line of fans carrying a blue coffin meant to symbolize the death of their Mavericks fandom," Escobedo said.

It's hard to say it, but when the Mavericks traded away Doncic, they lost a part of their fanbase. Low attendance, unfollowing on social media, chants to fire Harrison, and protests outside the AAC didn't help the Mavericks at all. Doncic was the face of Dallas, even bigger than some of the famous and top athletes among all Dallas sports teams. Including Dak Prescott, the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys.

Most Dallas sports fans love Prescott, but the affection that Doncic got from the entire city was unmatched. He was supposed to be the next Dirk Nowitzki and spend his entire career with the Mavs, and that opportunity was ripped away from them thanks to Harrison.

Trading Doncic away felt like a backstabbing moment at the time, considering that there weren't any rumors of a trade even happening. Also, considering Doncic led the Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals, trading away a superstar player like that remains a decision that won't ever make sense.

Had the Mavericks finished better than the Lakers last season, and had this season been off to a better start with Anthony Davis, then maybe the trade wouldn't be so bad. However, the status of both teams continues to make the trade look considerably worse every day for the Mavericks and better for the Lakers.

"Even when Harrison was fired and with No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, balling out, the pain still occurs," Escobedo said. "The true crime, is that the pain might never heal."

Time will tell when the Mavericks will be a legit title contender with Flagg. With Doncic on the Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder's well-constructed roster for the future, it will be extremely tough for the Mavericks to even scratch the NBA Finals.

At least the Mavericks know who their franchise player will be with Flagg, but Davis' tenure in Dallas has been a major disappointment. The fact that Flagg has played more minutes and games as a rookie this season than Davis has since being traded makes this move look even more disastrous for the Mavericks.

If Bleacher Report and Kiffin say anything, it's that loyalty doesn't exist among general managers, coaches, and players. Mavericks fans know this better than anyone, and the Doncic trade will always be remembered as one of the biggest betrayals in sports history.