When franchise legend Dirk Nowitzki drops “😳” this reaction, one can understand he is not a fan of the trade. Not just him, even the fanbase was puzzled by the news of the Mavs trading Luka Doncic. The former coach of the team recently opined on the situation and even stated he would have done things differently. The analyst, a former player and coach, compared the Slovenian player to Michael Jordan, disapproving of the trade.

“This type of talent doesn’t come around that many times in a lifetime.” Former Dallas Mavericks‘ head coach Avery Johnson, spoke on CBS Sports YouTube channel. “Dirk Nowitzki, Tim Duncan, Luca Doncic, Jayson Tatum Michael Jordan of the world, they just don’t come around that many times in a lifetime. So I probably would have vetoed this trade, but again, I’m not sitting in that chair anymore.”

Even though Johnson labeled the 25-year-old as a once-in-a-generation player, if he were the HC today, he would have not known about the trade. “We kept it between us, we had to, we had to keep it tight. J Kidd didn’t know about it, but J Kidd and I are aligned, and we talk about archetypes and we talk about the culture…” The GM of the franchise said at his press conference on Sunday. Nico Harrison made it clear that Jason Kidd had zero idea about the trade until it happened.

The Dallas franchise received Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and the Lakers’ 2029 first-round draft pick. Just like Kidd, the news surprised fans all over the world, including Avery Johnson. “It’s been weird because my phone early this morning was blowing up. I was sleeping when the trade went down. I must have had 80 text messages from not only folks here in Dallas, but people all across the country. My initial reaction was, ‘Wow.'”

Luka Doncic shared his reaction on X, bidding adieu to the franchise. “Seven years ago, I came here as a teenager to pursue my dream of playing basketball at the highest level, I thought I’d spend my career here and I wanted so badly to bring you a championship. The love and support you all have given me is more than I could have ever dreamed of…” Even Kidd once compared Doncic to Michael Jordan, so it made sense why the trade details were hidden from the HC.

Michael Jordan brand star compared to the Bulls legend

The 2019 Rookie of the Year set the Dallas Mavericks record in a single game. It was last year, somewhere in late January, when the 5x NBA All-Star scored 73 points against the Hawks as he etched his name in the history. Currently, he is fourth in NBA history after Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point record, Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game, and against Wilt’s 78-point game.

After the performance, Kidd didn’t stutter when he said, “He’s [Doncic] better than Dirk [Nowitzki]. He’s in the atmosphere of MJ, the best to ever do it, LeBron, Kobe.” On the Downbeat radio show, the HC continued, “Just to appreciate what this young man’s doing at the age of 24… is something that Dallas has never seen.”

Even Michael Jordan knows the value of the latest Lakers recruit. Because the brand hyped up the launch of Luka 3. When they wrapped Luka Doncic’s 68 Camaro in a “Midnight Racer” theme — inspired by his new Luka 3 colorway. Only time will tell if trading away the face of the franchise was the right move. But for now, the consensus is against the Dallas GM.