Nov 5, 2023; Dallas, Texas, USA; A view of the Dallas Mavericks logo during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Charlotte Hornets at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Stephen A. Smith blasts Mavericks owner over recent comments

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated Mar 16, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The Dallas Mavericks continue to catch strays for their ridiculous decision to trade Luka Doncic, but it doesn't help that the front office continues to talk about it. They think making bad excuses will help ease the fanbase's anger, but they're only making it worse.

A clip of Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont had been making its round recently from a real estate council talking about how trading a 25-year-old Luka Doncic, who just led them to the NBA Finals, to the Los Angeles Lakers was better for the Mavericks. Getting back a 31-year-old, oft-injured Anthony Davis as the main piece makes that statement wrong.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith called out Dumont on a recent episode of First Take, saying it doesn't make any sense.

“When you try to explain away, trading a 25-year-old global iconic basketball figure, for somebody six years older, who has a injured history albeit not the last two years, that’s pretty hard to sell. It’s not like he said this stuff to y’all the day the trade took place, this is after Anthony Davis then goes down in his very first game in Dallas, this is after Kyrie Irving tears his ACL, this is after Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively have been out and you having lost eight of ten games. To say it then, just doesn’t make any sense.”

While Stephen A. Smith may be loud and wrong about a lot of things, he's right about this. For the Mavs to try and continuously defend their actions, and it still falls flat, should tell them to stop trying. But that would require them to make smart decisions.

This article first appeared on Dallas Mavericks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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