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Par Joël Pütz | Journaliste sportif
Luka Doncic’s departure shook not just the Mavericks franchise, but the entire city of Dallas. The city found itself deprived of its greatest sports superstar. Former local mayor Tom Leppert settled his score with the city’s leadership.
2024-25 marked a turning point in the Mavericks’ history, but not in a good way. By trading Luka Doncic to everyone’s surprise, the franchise’s front office drew the ire of everyone in Dallas. Because they didn’t just part ways with their best player, they deprived the city of its most shining jewel, its sports showcase. Former Mayor Tom Leppert let loose in a piece for the Dallas Morning News:
Tom Leppert settles scores with Mavericks management
Basketball season is over for the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks. But like so many Mavs fans, I’m still deeply frustrated personally by the trade of Luka Doncic. And as a former mayor and a business leader in our city, I know it is going to keep hurting because it came at an enormous long-term cost to Dallas.
Luka gave Dallas national relevance, unforgettable moments, and a genuine sense of identity post-Dirk Nowitzki. He was a generational pillar; the kind of player cities build around for decades. A generational talent you protect, support and empower. There are trades that reshape teams. There are trades that reset franchises. And then there are trades so reckless that they fracture a city’s trust. The decision to trade Luka belongs in the last category.
More than just a basketball blunder, this trade represents a staggering failure of leadership at every level and is an abandonment of the unspoken moral contract between a team and its community. The Mavs management and ownership have every right to run their assets as they choose. But they must also acknowledge that the value of their asset is derived from this community, and this community is owed, in return, honesty and accountability for such actions. We haven’t gotten either.
For me, having led this city, I think this comes down to the importance of engaged and committed local ownership in our sports franchises. What I’ve seen since Patrick Dumont and the Adelson family took over the Mavs suggests a lack of interest in the basketball operations and this community. From where I sit, the priority is clear: use this asset to further the family’s casino business.
Dallas fans deserve better than a front office more loyal to its industry contacts than its players. They deserve better than a billionaire owner more focused on lobbying for casino legislation than protecting the franchise. Above all, they deserve accountability. Fans invest their time, their money and their belief in these teams. That investment deserves reciprocation. When you are the steward of a sports franchise, you are a steward of public trust. This wasn’t just a bad trade. It was a betrayal and a violation of that trust. It should be hard to earn back.
