FRISCO – The Dallas Mavericks franchise continues to reel from the disastrous trade that sent young superstar Luka Doncic to the long-despised (and secretly admired) Los Angeles Lakers. The damage is undeniable, yet team executives Patrick Dumont and Nico Harrison persist in a) attempting to reshape the narrative by spreading negativity about the generational talent they lost and b) underestimating the widespread impact of their decision beyond just Mavericks basketball. What do we mean? From the beginning, this poorly conceived trade—so shocking that even NBA general managers who first saw the news online thought it was a premature April Fool’s joke—earned the label “Herschel Reversal.”
Simply put, the Mavericks just fell victim to a swindle of the same magnitude as the Dallas Cowboys did in 1989 when they traded Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings for a massive haul of assets that built “America’s Team” into a three-time Super Bowl champion and the defining team of the ’90s. However, this isn’t just about strategy—it’s about emotions, as highlighted by Luka’s fellow Dallas sports icon, Cowboys star CeeDee Lamb. In a recent video with popular streamer Neon, Lamb was asked about the impact of Doncic’s departure on the city of Dallas.
“They killed the city with that one,” Lamb responded solemnly. His four-word reaction—”They Killed The City”—has gone viral, capturing the deep emotional toll of the trade in a way that Mavericks management seems oblivious to. Lamb’s statement resonates because it speaks directly to the passion, heart, and soul of Dallas sports fans.
The Cowboys receiver also revealed that, like many others, when he first saw the news of the trade on Twitter, he assumed it was fake. For context, the Mavericks received an injury-prone Anthony Davis and a single first-round pick—far below the expected return for a franchise-altering deal. A trade of this magnitude should have landed Dallas four or five premium picks at minimum, not to mention the sheer shock of allowing Dirk Nowitzki’s rightful successor to join the Lakers, a longtime rival led by LeBron James.
Despite the outcry, Dumont and Harrison continue to insist that “time will tell.” But this isn’t a situation that requires waiting—the damage is already clear. True Dallas sports fans, like CeeDee Lamb, have spoken. “They Killed The City.”
