Mavericks Fans Ejected from Dallas Game for Protesting Luka Doncic Trade to Lakers

The Dallas faithful are not embracing the team's post-trade roster.

Feb 10, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) looks to make a long pass down court in the first half against the Utah Jazz at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks faithful are hardly embracing the team's post-trade roster.

After dealing away rising superstar Luka Doncic, a five-time All-NBA guard who may not have even reached his prime yet at age 25, Mavericks management and ownership have been under fire from their devout fanbase.

Doncic was shipped to the Los Angeles Lakers, along with deep-bench power forward Markieff Morris and injured reserve power forward/center Maxi Kleber, for 10-time All-Star big man Anthony Davis, swing Max Christie, and L.A.'s 2029 first-round pick.

The Lakers dealt point guard Jalen Hood-Schifino and their rights to the L.A. Clippers' second-round pick to the Utah Jazz, while the Mavericks also flipped their own 2025 second-rounder to Utah.

Dallas fans' ire is well-placed, considering that last spring Doncic led a fifth-seeded Mavericks squad to its second Western Conference Finals berth in three years — with a radically different supporting cast — and its first NBA Finals appearance since 2011.

Doncic is a perpetual MVP candidate whose midseason addition has just transformed the fortunes of the Lakers franchise for the foreseeable future. While the soon-to-be-32-year-old Davis is still an All-NBA Second Team talent, the 6-foot-10 Kentucky product's career has been mired by health issues and his longevity is far more questionable than Doncic's, given their massive age disparity in basketball terms.

To wit, Davis appeared to suffer an abdominal injury in his Dallas debut, and could be out for the next month.

Read More: Watch Luka Doncic's First Basket as Member of Lakers

Mavericks fans apparently remain quite furious, per Christian Clark of The Athletic. At the club's 129-128 overtime defeat to the Sacramento Kings on Monday, multiple Dallas supporters were ejected from Dallas' American Airlines Arena home floor.

One fan appeared to shout "Fire Nico," a directive to ownership to let go of general manager Nico Harrison for his utter mishandling of Doncic as an asset, and was swiftly ejected.

The fan who mouthed “Fire Nico” on the Jumbotron gets escorted out of the AAC pic.twitter.com/jodQPyw4OT

— Christian Clark (@cclark_13) February 11, 2025

According to Clark, at least one other Mavericks appreciator didn't appreciate the Doncic deal and was also escorted out of the arena mid-game.

The Mavericks explained that one of the two ejected fans violated the NBA Fan Code of Conduct by bringing “clothing, garments or signs displaying explicit language, profanity or derogatory characterization toward a person.”

Another fan getting escorted out by security pic.twitter.com/uGIgj9w5wb

— Christian Clark (@cclark_13) February 11, 2025

Mavericks wing Klay Thompson, who was in part recruited by Doncic to join Dallas this past summer, weighed in on the fans' adverse reactions after the game.

“People are going to say stuff,” Thompson said. “That’s understandable. I was a fan. Still a fan. If I didn’t agree with a trade, I would probably voice my opinion, too.”

Meanwhile, Doncic made his Lakers debut on Monday.

Read More: Lakers Beat Jazz, How Many Points Did Luka Doncic Score?

The 6-foot-6 guard helped propel his Lakers to their sixth consecutive win, a 132-113 demolition of the tanking Utah Jazz. Doncic played just 23:33 while under a strict minutes limit, notching 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting from the field (1-of-7 from long range) and 3-of-3 shooting from the foul line, five rebounds and four assists.

More Lakers:

Luka Doncic Has Hilarious Reaction to First Lakers Postgame Press Conference

Lakers' LeBron James Exits Game with Apparent Injury vs Jazz

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