The Luka Doncic trade was so unexpected and controversial that a certain segment of frustrated fans have refused to accept any basketball-centric motivations for the deal. Instead, those fans have looked for conspiracies that might explain the out-of-left-field deal between the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers. The most common revolves around new owners Miriam Adelson and Patrick Dumont, the owners of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation, which manages casinos and resorts across the world, but most notably, in Las Vegas.
Las Vegas, which hosts the NBA’s annual Summer League, is a popular pick as a future expansion site for the league. Conspiratorially minded Mavericks fans, therefore, have grown worried that the deal might have been a precursor to an eventual move to Vegas. By weakening fan support in Dallas, they have argued, the owners of the Mavericks would have an easier time convincing the league to allow them to move out of an otherwise very healthy basketball market.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver attempted to squash those conspiracies on Saturday at his annual All-Star press conference. “I can say one thing for sure,” the commissioner began, “whether or not history will openly judge this as a smart trade, they did what they thought was in the best interest of their organization. I have absolutely no knowledge or belief there were any ulterior motives. There’s no doubt in my mind that the Dumont-Adelson family bought that team to keep it in Dallas. I have no doubt whatsoever that they are committed to the long-term success of that franchise. And in terms of the Dallas fans, all I can say to them is, again, time will tell whether it’s a smart trade, but I think they should believe in their organization.”
The Mavericks cited defense and culture as the reasons behind the trade, and reporting indicated that there was frustration within the organization about Doncic’s health and conditioning. There will probably be fans in Dallas who think otherwise until another team settles in Las Vegas, and even then, this is the sort of move that can lead to years, potentially even decades, of fan anger. There have been protests both inside and out of the American Airlines Center. Anthony Davis, the centerpiece of Dallas’ return for Doncic, suffered an injury in his first game as a Maverick, which didn’t help the situation.
Only time — and, hopefully, some winning — will quell the anger in Dallas over this trade. When a trade launches relocation conspiracies, it’s not one fans are likely to forget any time soon. As Silver said, only time will tell whether or not the trade ultimately proves successful, but for the time being, there is probably nothing the team can do to settle down a furious fan base.
