Luka Doncic's return to his old home was not surreal. It was a sad disaster.

Yahoo

10-04-2025

The head coach said it: 'Trades happen. Some are comparing it to Babe Ruth, which is kinda cool.'
Forgive Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd for fumbling my benign question about what he would tell Mavericks fans who feel dejected, and hopeless, since Mavs GM Nico Harrison traded Luka Doncic to the L.A. Lakers for Anthony Davis.
Or, maybe Kidd was having fun by aiming that cannon at Punxsutawney Nico. Shoutout to Nico who came out of his cubby to make the rounds on the floor before the highly anticipated Mavs' game on, 'Holy Mother of God, We Really Traded Luka Doncic' night.
Kidd coaches in an impossible situation, and his answer about two hours before Luka made his 'homecoming' at the American Airlines Center has the potential to live longer than his coaching career.
Wednesday night's game between the Lakers and Mavs at the AAC was not 'kinda cool.' It wasn't even surreal. The whole thing is sad, embarrassing, infuriating, and it continues to be the avoidable disaster for the franchise.
Luka's Lakers won 112-97, as he went for a season-best 45 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals.
'So many emotions,' Luka said after the game in a packed press conference.
With 1:35 remaining in the game, and the Lakers comfortably ahead, he headed to bench for a timeout. The opposing crowd gave him a standing ovation, which quickly turned into a 'Fire Nico!' chant, the 873rd of the night.
The Luka video tribute the Mavericks showed before the public address announcer introduced Doncic was unbelievable, and not because it was anything other than well done and sweet. It is unbelievable they traded the guy in that video, who is only 25, for Davis and a future first round draft pick. No disrespect to Max Christie.
The video left Doncic in tears, and everyone in the place crying, and sick.
'It was a beautiful moment. The video was great,' Lakers coach J.J. Redick said after the game. 'His ability to then go perform, the lights turn on, he's teary eyed as we walked on the floor. To have the emotional resolve to put on that kind of a performance is ... he's super human.'
Doncic would have stayed here forever, or at least through the end of the super max contract the Mavs GM wanted no part of handing him this summer.
Speaking of the GM, eight seconds into the game the hit single from the soundtrack of DFW, 'Fire Nico!' echoed from the upper deck to the floor of the AAC before the PA man shouted it down with a 'Let's Go Mavs!'
At multiple points the Mavs showed on the JumboTron the NBA's Code of Conduct policy. A policy that does allow fans to chant 'Fire Nico!' 'Please Don't Move the Team to Las Vegas!' or, 'Just Sell the Team, Patrick!'
When the same public address announcer tried to motivate the pro-Luka crowd with a chant of 'Defense!' they weren't having it. They cheered for Luka like he was still on the Mavericks, even though he now plays for their Enemy No. 1.
'It was nice to see some familiar faces,' Doncic said. 'I'm happy. Now I can get to sleep. It was an amazing experience.'
They loved it when he threw a wrap-around pass at the rim to the corner for an open 3-pointer. They were thrilled when Luka buried a step-back 3-pointer. The defender on both plays? Anthony Davis.
With 1:26 remaining in the first quarter, Luka went to the bench for the first time and received a nice applause. He had scored 14 of his team's 26 points. At the half, he had 31.
As evidenced by what went down on Wednesday night, Harrison and team owner Patrick Dumont badly misjudged how the fans would handle this trade. The local outrage and fan backlash at this move would break even the most expensive seismometer.
'Talk about closure, it's hard,' Doncic said. 'I spent a lot of time here.'
Whatever scenario 'Nico Dumont' envisioned, models they drew up, how it's played out will be used by other teams, actuaries, college professors, and members of the media as a case study.
'We believe in Nico and Patrick,' Kidd said before the game.
On this, no one can blame the head coach, even if before the game he did jam both feet in his mouth.
The trade is done, and the Mavs' real hope is Davis can pair with Kyrie Irving, who is out recovering from ACL surgery, in about 10 months to form the team Harrison envisioned.
Harrison, with the full approval and support of his boss, traded the second-most popular, and the most talented, player in franchise history in exchange for a great player who is 32, a former second round pick, and a future first.
As evidenced what we saw on Wednesday night, there is nothing cool about this.