It took some time for things to settle, but the Luka Doncic trade couldn't be going better for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Slovenian superstar is finally playing like he's been on JJ Redick's roster the entire season, playing a significant role in the Lakers winning 50 games while locking up the Western Conference's No. 3 seed.
As much post-trade success as the Lakers have had, their good times are only one half of the equation. After all, it's no secret that life has been rough for the Dallas Mavericks after mistakenly moving on from their former fan favorite, whether it be their plethora of injuries or embarrassing off-court drama surrounding general manager Nico Harrison.
Unfortunately, for the Mavericks, their embarrassing times are far from over.
Lakers News: Mavericks Fans Fail to Deliver on Free Tickets
The Mavericks' situation reached a new low earlier this month when the team announced that they'd give free Play In-Tournament tickets to season seat members if the team finished ninth in the West, according to Dallas Morning News' Mike Curtis.
"This is our way to say thank you to our fans for their dedication to the team," Mavericks CEO Rick Welts wrote. "We want them at (American Airlines Center), rowdy, proud and loud, bring the energy to the build and supporting their Mavs."
The Mavs announce they’ll provide tickets for a home Play-In Tournament game for all season ticket holders (Club Maverick Members) if the team finishes the regular season 9th in the West standings.
— Mike Curtis (@MikeACurtis2) April 5, 2025
“This is our way to say thank you to our fans for their dedication to the team,”… pic.twitter.com/yRlyw5ePot
Much to Dallas fans' dismay, though, the Mavericks failed to make good on their "thank you" idea, finishing the regular season in 10th place — one game behind the Sacramento Kings.
Offering free Play-In tickets is bad enough, but the fact that the Mavericks couldn't even do the bare minimum to achieve that goal is nothing short of embarrassing. Instead of properly thanking fans (which is nearly impossible to do after trading away Doncic), the Mavs front office gave the fanbase yet another reason to chant "Fire Nico" at the next home game.
As the Mavericks continue figuring out how to get in their fans' good graces, the Lakers are excited to see what Doncic can do in the postseason. The 26-year-old phenom averaged 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 1.6 steals, and .438/.379/.791 splits in 28 outings in an L.A. jersey, with his best performance coming when he dropped 45 points on 68.4% shooting in Apr. 9's 112-97 win over the Mavs.
All signs point to Doncic & Co. making some noise in the playoffs. FanDuel Sportsbook is currently giving the Lakers the fourth-best odds (+1700) to win the 2025 NBA Finals ahead of their opening-round matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves, which begins with Game 1 at crypto.com Arena on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET.
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Odds update periodically and are subject to change.