The Dallas Mavericks shook the NBA world in February when they seemingly traded superstar Luka Doncic out of nowhere.
It's still a sore subject to Mavericks fans, and even with the miracle of winning the No. 1 overall pick in the draft lottery and getting a generational prospect in Cooper Flagg, there is still some disdain for the front office for trading their homegrown talent.
Dallas' head coach Jason Kidd was recently interviewed while sitting courtside at a Dallas Wings game, and his comments showed just how out of touch the Mavericks' brass is with their fan base.
Kidd Says 'Basketball Gods Were Great to Us'
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Kidd pointed to the Mavericks having the opportunity to select Flagg and the Wings landing former UConn phenom Paige Bueckers as bright spots for Dallas basketball.
"The basketball gods were great to us when you talk about two number ones with Paige and Cooper so just understanding the future is bright…"
While the future is certainly bright, it was just as bright when the Mavericks still had Doncic on the team. The Slovenian superstar was the key cog to Dallas' 2024 NBA Finals run, and even though there were health concerns regarding his conditioning, it still paints President of Basketball Operations, Nico Harrison, as a villain to the team's fans.
While there is reason for excitement for the Mavericks entering the 2025-26 season, the team will be relying heavily on veterans around the rookie Flagg. Anthony Davis is one of the best two-way players in the game, but is often injured. Kyrie Irving is still recovering from a major injury suffered late last year, and Klay Thompson is an aging shooter with his best days behind him. If Dallas wants to see success next year, these older stars will have to consistently perform.
Mavericks fans should certainly be excited about the future outlook of the team, but Kidd's recent comments continue to show how the team's executives had little to no clue how much Doncic meant to fans in Dallas. It will be no easy task getting Mavs fans to turn the page on that era of Mavericks basketball, but it starts with winning games and getting back to the postseason.