It’s not easy to move on from a shock. Especially when someone becomes a public favorite, their departure feels like a personal loss. Yes, I’m talking about Luka Doncic. Will Dallas ever forgive Nico Harrison for February 2? That’s a serious question to think about. Now, we’ve always talked about what was happening outside the locker room when the news broke. But do you know the storm the Mavericks stars felt when they got to know that Doncic wasn’t their teammate anymore?

Don’t worry, the 31-year-old shooting guard, Spencer Dinwiddie, is here to unlock the mystery. He joined Jeff Teague for a conversation in the latest edition of the Club 520 podcast. There, he spoke about his experience of knowing Luka Doncic wasn’t going to play alongside him for Dallas.

“Bro, so let me tell you, and I don’t think anybody would disagree with this,” Dinwiddie expressed. “Going into the season, you would have thought he was untouchable, right? So Wemby and Ant Edwards and probably Tatum and L and, you know, those type of guys.” Well, someone who was going to become a franchise legend one day, Luka seemed untouchable until he wasn’t. The Slovenian Sensation was somewhat like Wemby, Edwards, and LeBron, until… he wasn’t.

Spencer Dinwiddie crashed early, “like 11 or maybe even a little bit earlier than that,” he said to Jeff Teague and Co. He was totally unaware that chaos was brewing, but the moment he woke up, he just knew. “I knew it was a problem—or not a problem, but I knew something went on” because his phone was lit up with missed calls.

Not just any calls—NBA calls. “Like Zach LaVine, DLo.” Confused, he grabbed his phone. “Why I got three missed calls from DLo? Why I got calls from Zach? Like, the hell going on?” In that instant, reality hit—something huge had just gone down. “I saw my agent, but whatever, he calling for whatever he calling for. Then I went to my messages, and that’s when, you know what I’m saying, it set in,” Dinwiddie further shared, talking about the Luka Doncic trade.

“Everyone was just shocked, bro. I don’t think there’s any other way to put it,” the Mavericks hooper concluded. To be honest, shock doesn’t even begin to cover a quarter of the emotions the NBA world felt that day. But Anthony Davis? The Maverick Nation might be adjusting to this new normal. “They’re acting like AD ain’t probably a top-five power forward all time, so like a bag of chips or something, which is crazy,” Spencer Dinwiddie complained. Well, AD is one of the top players in the league now. Surely, he’s suffering from injuries at this point, but that doesn’t mean he can’t play or push a team to win games.

While the NBA community continues to swirl around the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade, a bigger, more concerning question has begun to circulate. And that is, should the Dallas Mavericks tank this season? What good will that be?

The Dallas Mavericks might have to fully tank in Luka Doncic’s absence and an injured Kyrie Irving

Rachel Nichols believes the Mavericks, with limited resources, have no choice but to tank. They did it two seasons ago, got fined, but landed Derek Lively, a key piece in their Finals run. The argument is simple: It could happen again, and the Mavs need all the help they can get. With limited roster flexibility, tanking seems like an option. “Right now, they have so many injuries, and even going into next season, we don’t expect Kyrie to start the season playing. I think that kind of move (tanking) could be good for the franchise,” Nichols said.

Moreover, since Luka Doncic’s trade, the relationship that the franchise had with fans has been severed, and rumors suggest that: “There were people within the organization who weren’t so excited about AD coming back. Not just people in the fans around the team, but actually within the team, because the idea is, hey, wouldn’t another Derek Lively be nice?”

Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks face more than just a basketball decision. Tanking could secure future talent, but the fan base is furious, and past trades have strained trust. Meanwhile, AD wants to play, and benching him could hurt his reputation and the team’s bond with its new star. With off-court turmoil matching on-court struggles, Dallas must weigh long-term gains against immediate fallout.

Thus, Dallas now stands at a crossroads. Tanking could bring future rewards, but the scars of Luka Doncic’s trade still linger. Spencer Dinwiddie captured the shock that rippled through the league, a feeling Mavericks fans still haven’t shaken. With AD in the mix and Kyrie sidelined, the team must choose—gamble on tomorrow or fight to restore faith today.