The Dallas Mavericks’ run to the 2022 Western Conference Finals is often remembered as the start of the Luka Doncic era. Behind the scenes, however, it turned out to be a lot more complex. The NBA, like every league, was still navigating its return to normalcy as COVID-19 had yet to subside. Not every player had accepted the league-wide norms, which created some internal tension during the Mavericks’ resurgence.

Trey Burke was an important piece in Doncic’s backcourt. He was briefly signed in 2019 and traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. During the suspended season, the Mavericks re-signed him as a substitute for an injured Jalen Brunson in 2020. No one thought that this three-year, $10 million decision would pay off big time.

So, Burke’s sudden reduced role in 2022 was a shocker. (Of course, in retrospect, no one thought the Mavericks would ever trade a prime Luka Doncic either, yet here we are.) He was eventually traded, then waived, and he now continues his professional career in Mexico. Now, nearly four years after his exit from Dallas, Burke has decided to tell his side of the story.

“It was super tough, it was real tough,” Burke said on Buckets Don’t Stop, reflecting on his final days in Dallas. “Days I came home and cried, like literally cried because I love this game. Always played to be the best that I could be, and I put a lot of work in this game. When that hit, it’s crazy now cuz it’s irrelevant. It’s not even talked about. I just happen to be a part of that era.”

Burke continues to stand by his decision to remain unvaccinated. But back then, he admitted to almost changing his stance to save his career.

“I just could never really move myself to actually do it,” Burke said.

“I respect the Mavs just because they gave me and my family opportunity of a lifetime,” Burke admitted. “Mark Cuban, all of those guys. Shout out to those guys. I just think it was a greater agenda in place, and once I decided not to get it, I kind of seen the end of the road for me in the NBA that next year. They didn’t play me that year.”

Burke would’ve been a key piece in Doncic’s trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2022. He thought so too and claimed “there was literally no reason” that he only played seven minutes across two games against the Golden State Warriors.

Kyrie Irving was another player who refused to take the COVID vaccine and stood his ground. He was forced to miss home games in Brooklyn due to New York’s vaccination mandate. He later opened up about how getting vaccinated felt like an “ultimatum” from the Nets to get a new contract or not. However, GM Sean Marks pushed back on that notion, saying that it was a “completely personal choice.”

However, Burke maintains that he respects the Mavericks’ decision to trade him to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2022. He was then waived before getting a chance to play, effectively ending his NBA career while he was still in his prime.

Trey Burke’s lonely fight in the NBA as Luka Doncic and Co. moved on

Trey Burke’s experience was unique. The Michigan alum, who recently witnessed his No. 3 jersey rise to the rafters at Crisler Center, was the 9th overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft. On every team he was on, he proved he was an effective contributor off the bench. Yet after the 76ers waived him, he was unemployed for a brief period.

The NBA was just restarting in the Bubble in 2020, and the Mavericks had no big man after Dwight Powell was injured, with their backups not opting in. That’s when they got Burke back. It was an odd decision at the time because he’s a 6’0″ guard.

Burke changed his game for Doncic. He moved to a more defensive style. He prioritized volume-shooting off the bench and keeping Doncic out of foul trouble. His productivity declined following the shift, and he fell to the back end of Jason Kidd’s rotation. Some would blame that for his fading from the NBA, but Burke clearly disagrees.

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Despite the team’s deep playoff run, Burke’s role was diminished to the point of total exclusion, including having a separate locker room. At the peak of his career, he’d land in the G League and then overseas, a reality he claims was due to factors “deeper than basketball.”