Doncic, who had dragged an otherwise unremarkable Mavericks team through the Western Conference, became the face of their failure. Dallas coach Jason Kidd was forced to come out and defend his maligned star, even though without Doncic, the Mavericks were a faded Kyrie Irving and a bunch of role players.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic stands along the baseline before an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif.(Kevork Djansezian / AP) You might want to look away Dallas Mavericks fans,

D allas Mavericks fans are still dealing with the trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers and brought Anthony Davis to Dallas. The trade came out of nowhere and was