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[Saba Sports News] Fans were baffled by a recent comment from Dallas Mavericks CEO Rick Welts regarding the controversial Luka Doncic trade.
During a closed-door media session on Tuesday morning—intended to focus on a proposed new Mavericks arena—Welts and GM Nico Harrison instead found themselves fielding questions about the franchise-altering Doncic deal. Harrison stuck to a repeated three-word answer, “Defense wins championships.”
Welts, who previously held an executive role with the Golden State Warriors, tried to put the Doncic trade in perspective by comparing it to Golden State’s 2012 decision to trade Monta Ellis for Andrew Bogut—a move that was initially unpopular but ultimately helped spark the Warriors’ dynasty. He suggested the Doncic deal could follow a similar path.
Fans were quick to reject the comparison. Social media erupted with criticism, with many calling the Mavericks front office “out of touch” for equating the loss of a generational talent like Doncic to swapping out a volume scorer in Ellis. As many pointed out, Doncic was expected to be the team’s version of Steph Curry—not Monta Ellis in this analogy.
The reaction has gone beyond online backlash, as the trade is already believed to be hurting the franchise financially due to waning fan interest. Welts’ attempt to spin the narrative did little to calm the outrage.