New Mavericks CEO Rick Welts has publicly discussed the Luka Dončić trade that sent him from Dallas to the Los Angeles Lakers.
In an interview with Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News, he addressed how he “probably underestimated the reaction” the fans had to the recent Dončić trade.
“I thought I’d seen everything in my 47 years in the NBA, but clearly this was different,” Welts said. “I think a lot of people of good intent tried to do the right thing.
“I probably underestimated the reaction. I think we’ve done the best we can, basically, with the staff and trying to do the right thing with everybody who touches the Mavericks.”
“It’s incredibly emotional, an incredibly difficult time for so many people. But I still believe we’re going to come out on the other side, with a future that’s incredibly bright. That’s kind of my glass-half-full approach there.”
Welts has pretty much done it all and seen it all NBA-wise. He previously led business operations for the Phoenix Suns from 2002-11 and during the Golden State Warriors’ heyday from 2011-21.
Welts knows a thing or two about the NBA, but he had never seen anything like this from any fanbase in his tenure.
Mavericks fans reacted as any other fan base would have reacted if their team traded away the face of the franchise. The 25-year-old was on his way to accomplishing what Dirk Nowitzki, once did in Dallas.
Dončić had already led the organization to two Western Conference finals appearances and fell short of just three wins at an NBA title last season. Certain people still cannot comprehend this move, but the Mavericks feel good about their current position.
They believe that Dončić is not a player they can rely on and certainly isn’t worth a supermax contract, which they would have owed him this offseason.
Dončić would have been eligible to sign a five-year, $345 million contract; however, the Mavericks had no intention of paying him that money. General manager Nico Harrison did not like the behavior Dončić had expressed with the drinking beer and smoking hookah.
Harrison may not have been the only one who felt that way about Dončić, which is why we are here.
Only time will tell whether this trade will benefit the Mavericks, but even so, Mavericks fans cannot imagine why the front office did such a thing to a player who is well on his way to the Hall of Fame.
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