In the history of the Dallas Mavericks franchise, former head coach Don Nelson was instrumental in establishing them as a consistent playoff team in the early 2000s. Nelson helped unlock Dirk Nowitzki and helped shape him into the greatest player in franchise history. Being one of the best offensive innovators in league history, Nelson is certainly deserving of winning the 2025 Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award, the winner of which was announced earlier today.
Suffice to say, the Mavericks franchise wouldn’t be where they are today without Nelson’s contributions. This is why Nelson is disappointed more than ever on the current state of the team. While the Mavs recently won the first overall pick, putting them in position to draft Cooper Flagg as some sort of mulligan for the biggest mistake in franchise history, Nelson isn’t pleased whatsoever with their decision to trade away Luka Doncic back in February.
“I think it was a tremendous mistake for the Dallas franchise to trade him — and I want everybody to know that,” Nelson said in his press conference prior to Game 2 of the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder’s NBA Finals clash.
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) June 8, 2025
Nelson has formed a close relationship with Doncic, so it’s not exactly a huge surprise to see him to go to bat for his guy. And it’s not like Nelson’s sentiment is unpopular; the Mavericks continue to be widely chastised for their egregious decision to let go of Doncic without making it known to the whole league — which could have drummed up a major bidding war.
Over four months have passed since the Mavericks shocked the world, and there are times where it still doesn’t feel real that Doncic is now a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. Only time will tell if the Mavs end up being right, but this trade is viewed as a disaster for a very good reason.
Mavericks hope for a quick turnaround
At the very least, all hope is not lost for the Mavericks. They have an incredible collection of talent in the frontcourt; Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II, and PJ Washington comprise their impressive core. And they’re (presumably) about to add Flagg to the mix.
All the Mavericks need is for Kyrie Irving to return to full strength and for them to bolster their backcourt, re-balancing the roster by perhaps trading a few of their big men in exchange for some guard help.
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