Sometimes, trades in sports come completely out of left field. The recent deal between the Mavericks, Jazz, and Lakers was so unexpected, dads everywhere would say it was so far out of left field it wasn’t in the stadium.

Luka Doncic led Dallas to the NBA Finals last season, but he’s now in a different uniform. Sure, reports have tried to reason it saying that the franchise was tired of being concerned about his conditioning issues, but this trade is a head-scratcher. 

Obviously, Mavs fans were going to be upset, and they have wasted little time in demonstrating how unhappy they are. 

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Mavericks fans protest Luka Doncic trade

Mavericks’ fans were undoubtedly caught off guard by the deal. The franchise didn’t make it known that they were open to moving Doncic, and most pundits don’t feel they got back adequate return. The Mavericks gave up Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris and got back Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick.

Giving up a fan-favorite player is always going to elicit a strong response. Doing so with that player being 25 and one of the best in the league? Well, that is going to result in protests from fans. 

The Mavericks were on the road taking on the Cavaliers during the time of the trade, but even though the team wasn’t at home, Mavericks fans came to the American Airlines Center to protest the deal. Some of the protests were standard, with fans calling for the owners to sell the team. 

Mavs fans protesting outside of American Airlines Center 😳👀

“SELL! THE! TEAM!” 🗣️

(via @jake_riepma 105.3 The Fan Show Host) pic.twitter.com/NXoEnAuuAf

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 2, 2025

Other protests took it to another level. Some fans brought a coffin to the stadium and basically held a funeral service for their favorite franchise. 

Three dudes brought a coffin to American Airlines Center. They’re playing “See You Again.”

“Rest in peace to the Mavs.” pic.twitter.com/0Ndv26vGyb

— Shawn McFarland (@McFarland_Shawn) February 2, 2025

There is a Luka protest outside American Airlines Center. pic.twitter.com/goslQDDzzl

— Lia Assimakopoulos (@Lassimak) February 2, 2025

One can only imagine what the first Mavericks’ home game post-trade will look like.

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