It takes one player for the resurgence of a franchise. The Dallas Mavericks had two transcendent stars before they self-destructed. They drafted both Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson in 2018, potential pillars the franchise failed to recognize. Now, their offence is lagging behind, while their former backcourt leads their respective teams to great success. The memory of those costly errors will sting more today, as the NBA awarded them for their excellence.

Over the past week, their contributions led to both the Lakers and the Knicks having spotless records. Likewise, the NBA awarded Doncic and Brunson with Player of the Week honours for their elite play. The Slovenian, in particular, has been in thunderous form, averaging 37.3 points and 10.3 assists, leading the Lakers to a 3-0 record. That included a win against his former home. However, the win streak sat at seven games before the Purple and Gold’s surprise loss to the Phoenix Suns tonight.

In the East, Jalen Brunson has become the leader in the Knicks locker room. A new nickname: ‘Captain’ suits the skilful guard’s poised demeanour on the floor. With him, the Knicks have one of the most successful offences, ranking 5 in points per game. Brunson, staying on his imperious trajectory, put up 28.8 points in the Knicks’ 4-0 run this week.

Both of those fanbases have enjoyed the former Mavericks backcourt, leading them to astronomic heights. And the Mavericks fans are wishing the front office hadn’t let their concerns cloud their judgment of two meteoric stars. Brunson’s exit was contentious, with the NBA even finding the Knicks guilty of tampering.

However, that situation only came about because the front office didn’t extend the All-Star point guard on time. Luka Doncic’s trade is still inexcusable. The ripple effect of that was felt all around Dallas, with the fanbase abandoning the team. Nico Harrison, the former GM for the team, was recently fired from his position for pushing to trade the Slovenian.

But those repairs won’t change the fact that the Mavericks possibly fumbled their future.

The NBA community reminds the Mavericks of their past horrors

After firing Harrison, the Mavericks hoped to start fresh, forgetting their past errors. But the NBA community won’t allow that. Reacting to the former Dallas backcourt sweeping away Player of the Week honours, one New York fan wrote, “both people the Mavs absolutely sold on, but thanks for making the Knicks goated Mavs,”.

In Brunson’s case, the player himself was willing to stay in Dallas at a discounted price compared to his contract with the Knicks. However, after an explosive playoff run with Luka Doncic in 2022, the point guard’s value drove up astronomically. Mark Cuban was willing to pay him the most. However, with close ties to the Knicks in his father, Rick Brunson, the former Mavs guard decided to move to the big market.

“Thank you Mavs!” Knicks and Lakers fans say in unison,” another fan mentioned. With Doncic, none of these concerns ever emerged. A year before the most unbelievable trade in recent history, Doncic guided the Mavs to the NBA Finals. But Harrison prioritised a defensively sound team. Now, the Mavericks fans continue to hurt. “OH GOODY!!!! I LOVE WATCHING MY BELOVED NBA FRANCHISE’S 2018 PICKS CONTINUE TO IMPROVE!!,” a fan summed it up.

Those two moves coming in quick succession really rattled the franchise. At the moment, they are starving for a strong backcourt with Kyrie Irving still recovering. Fans don’t want to imagine what this team would have been had the front office made the right decisions. And with Nico Harrison playing a part in both of those calls, a fan renamed the award as “The Nico Harrison player of the week award”.

As advice to Dallas fans, many fans warned them. “Look away Mavs fans,” another fan wrote. For them, the silver lining is Cooper Flagg being handed through a miracle in the draft. The rookie is starting to get into his own. With Anthony Davis also back, the franchise has won two straight games, including tonight’s win against the Denver Nuggets. However, at this point, that is just a compromise.

The Mavericks currently sit at the 12 seed in the West. Aside from the upcoming draft, the Mavs are depleted of draft picks. Getting another splendid team together will likely require a lot of rearrangement. Till then, the fanbase will hope that Harrison’s bold experiment pays off. Once Irving returns, the team will have the strength to compete in the West. But they need to make sure the veteran guard is in a position to have such an impact.

Right now, things look streaky at best. However, with the roster slowly coming together, there’s still some hope for the situation to improve.