Basketball season is over for the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks.
But like so many Mavs fans, I’m still deeply frustrated personally by the trade of Luka Doncic. And as a former mayor and a business leader in our city, I know it is going to keep hurting because it came at an enormous long-term cost to Dallas.
Cities are more than a collection of roads and buildings; the success of a city is driven by the intangibles … the pride of its people, its competitiveness and its image in greater society.
Like all of you, I have seen the lift cities get from their sports teams and iconic sports figures like Dirk Nowitzki. They are part of the civic and emotional fabric. Just walk down the halls of any public area in Dallas and count the number of “77” jerseys worn by our people.
Luka gave Dallas national relevance, unforgettable moments, and a genuine sense of identity post-Dirk Nowitzki. He was a generational pillar; the kind of player cities build around for decades. A generational talent you protect, support and empower.
There are trades that reshape teams. There are trades that reset franchises. And then there are trades so reckless that they fracture a city’s trust. The decision to trade Luka belongs in the last category.
More than just a basketball blunder, this trade represents a staggering failure of leadership at every level and is an abandonment of the unspoken moral contract between a team and its community.
The Mavs management and ownership have every right to run their assets as they choose. But they must also acknowledge that the value of their asset is derived from this community, and this community is owed, in return, honesty and accountability for such actions. We haven’t gotten either.
General manager Nico Harrison has tried to spin this in many ways, as a “necessary pivot,” “a reset,” a need to “set the table for the future.” His mantra that “defense wins championships” seems to be where he settled to defend this mess.
Let’s look at that. Three of the last five NBA championships had a higher offensive rating than defensive rating. In 2023, the Denver Nuggets won the title behind the league’s second-best offense (defense ranked 15th) and a run led by Nikola Jokić, a so-called “defensive liability.” The 2022 Golden State Warriors title run was powered by Stephen Curry’s offense, not grit-and-grind defense.
Yes, defense matters, but the modern NBA is driven by offensive efficiency, elite shot creation, and versatility — all things Luka personified. Harrison gave the 25-year-old away because he didn’t fit a narrative that was never true to begin with. To win a championship, does it really make sense to gut almost half of your offensive production? And don’t forget: the Mavs led by Luka made the NBA Finals last year!
This was personal, not strategic.
Over the past year and a half, Harrison appeared to lead a campaign to undermine Luka’s influence in the organization. Trusted allies and staff were pushed out. Player development coaches and European scouts who built relationships with Luka and his camp disappeared quietly. J.J. Barea, a respected voice in the locker room and someone Luka viewed as a friend and mentor, was effectively iced out of basketball operations.
And then there’s how it happened. Instead of opening Luka’s availability to the market, exploring all possible returns, and gauging league-wide demand — as would be expected when moving a top-five player in the world— Harrison worked behind closed doors. A former Nike executive with deep ties to Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, he found a backchannel. It was rushed. Opaque.
Just two years ago, the Minnesota Timberwolves gave up five first-round picks and a host of players for Rudy Gobert — a fine player, but no Luka Doncic. The fact that Dallas didn’t shop Luka broadly, didn’t invite offers from other teams suggests this wasn’t a business decision. It was a backroom arrangement.
To me, as a former leader in the public and private sectors, Harrison’s personal relationships were prioritized over the franchise’s best interests. Instead of securing the kind of historic haul a 25-year-old perennial MVP candidate commands, it wasn’t about value. It was about getting Luka out, quietly, and to a preferred destination that benefited a personal agenda more than Dallas.
Yet instead of taking accountability, Harrison cast Luka as the problem — too emotional, too demanding, too singular in his playstyle. Those are familiar catchphrases for failing to lead with unique talent.
And as a capper, Harrison recently said publicly, “I did know that Luka was important to the fanbase, I didn’t quite know to what level.” Really? That’s not a credible thing for the GM of a major sports franchise to say.
For me, having led this city, I think this comes down to the importance of engaged and committed local ownership in our sports franchises. What I’ve seen since Patrick Dumont and the Adelson family took over the Mavs suggests a lack of interest in the basketball operations and this community. From where I sit, the priority is clear: use this asset to further the family’s casino business,
Dumont approved a trade that it’s hard to believe any local owner would have accepted; it gutted the team’s identity and shattered a deep bond with its fans. It was apathy or a lack of understanding about Luka and the Dallas fan base that gave Harrison the authority to carry out his trade plan — regardless of the damage done.
Absenteeism has cost Dallas dearly. Hopefully, our public officials will remember this when the prospect of gambling is next raised.
Mark Cuban, over his decades of ownership, brought a passion for basketball and commitment to our community. I can only wonder what his reaction is in hindsight to selling the team to out of town owners who haven’t reflected his commitment. There is no question it will affect his legacy.
Dallas fans deserve better than a front office more loyal to its industry contacts than its players. They deserve better than a billionaire owner more focused on lobbying for casino legislation than protecting the franchise.
Above all, they deserve accountability. Fans invest their time, their money and their belief in these teams. That investment deserves reciprocation. When you are the steward of a sports franchise, you are a steward of public trust.
This wasn’t just a bad trade. It was a betrayal and a violation of that trust. It should be hard to earn back.
Tom Leppert is a former mayor of Dallas and former chair of the Dallas Regional Chamber.
