Luka Doncic‘s trade from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers could go down in history as one of the worst moves in sports history.
The 26-years-old Slovenian superstar might not be in his prime yet and his exceptional passing ability, high basketball IQ, elite scoring from all areas of the court, combined with his size and strength, makes him one of the most dangerous basketball players in the world.
Dallas Mavericks fan protest at a Texan City Hall and demands explanations for the Luka trade
So it was a huge surprise when the Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison decided to split ways with Luka and send him to the Lakers, a team that plays in the same conference as the Mavs. In exchange, Dallas got All-Star power forward/center Anthony Davis.
Man protests in City Hall for Luka’s trade
Luka’s trade caused outrage in the Dallas area as fans expressed their anger at the move, specially since the Mavericks just went to the NBA Finals last year – only to lose to the stacked Boston Celtics 4-1 thanks to a great series by guard Jaylen Brown – and they thought they were really close to a Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.
The latest sign of anger because of the trade happened at a City Hall in Irving, Texas, – part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex area – where a citizen went to protest what he deemed a betrayal of the city and its basketball legacy. To be fair, the Mavs have only won one NBA championship in their 40 seasons in the league.
In an impassioned speech, the fan stood before the council and laid out his grievances. “About three weeks ago, the citizens of Dallas were absolutely betrayed. What happened? Our franchise player, Luka Doncic -who is beloved by the city, absolutely beloved-was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. We now have the information to piece it all together.”
The alleged plot that lead to Luka’s trade
According to the fan, the Adelson family, the new owners of the Dallas Mavericks, purchased the team as well as a plot of land where the Dallas Cowboys stadium used to be in the city of Irving, with the intention of opening a large casino and potentially a new Dallas Mavericks arena.
“However, over the past couple of years, the state of Texas has lagged in passing a bill to legalize gambling. So what did the Adelson family do? They traded away Luka Doncic. Why? This was a show of power. They wanted to demonstrate to this city and our state that they mean business and are willing to do whatever it takes to get their way.” added the person.
The speech went viral and it shows the emotional state of most of the Dallas Mavericks fans. The trade not only sent away their most beloved player since German All-Star Dirk Nowitzki but also left the team in a terrible situation. Despite the backlash, Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont defended the trade in a recent press conference.
