“Fire Nico” chants have been echoing Dallas ever since Nico Harrison made the shocking Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade. Well, it’s clear that fans are not pleased with their generational superstar being taken from them, even leading to major safety concerns for the GM, who has received several death threats. But as Harrison continues to face the brunt of the criticism, veteran journalist David Aldridge revealed the real culprits behind the blockbuster move.

The Mavs owners!

Holding the Adelson and Dumont families accountable, Aldridge said on The Rich Eisen Show, “What I’m not gonna do is absolve Mavs ownership of their responsibility in this which people seem to want to just blindly ignore.” Yes, he highlighted that a GM’s job is to recommend a trade to the ownership, but he does not have the power to pull the trigger with a player of Luka’s caliber.

“The owner decides if they’re gonna do it or not… I wanna see more people holding ownership accountable because owners decide to trade a guy like Luka Doncic, not Nico Harrison,” Aldridge added, advising the angry Dallas fans to take the blame off the GM. Or at least, not blame him solely for the move.

Moreover, he urged Adelson and Dumont to clearly state the reasoning behind parting ways with a superstar like Luka. “Whatever the reason was, I would like to hear them articulate that reason on the record. I don’t think that’s too much to ask to the people who own the basketball team.”

While the owners have chosen to remain tight-lipped, Nico Harrison has stated that trading Doncic for AD gives the Mavs a better shot at winning the championship. Furthermore, it helps the team build the kind of culture they envision. Obviously, speculations are that the front office had concerns about Luka’s conditioning and his ability to stay healthy for the entire length of a season. But it will not be confirmed until ownership decides to break the silence. Meanwhile, they’re trying everything in their power to make the fans happy again.

Mavs CEO is “Trying to Do the Right Thing” amid unrest in Dallas after Luka Doncic trade

As much as the fans hate to accept it, the reality is that Luka is gone and the Mavs have no option but to move on. Amid the massive backlash, team CEO Rick Welts assured that the management is trying everything to make things right, “We did the best we can, basically, with the staff and trying to do the right thing with everybody who touches the Mavericks. It’s incredibly emotional, an incredibly difficult time for so many people. But I still believe we’re going to come out on the other side, with a future that’s incredibly bright. That’s kind of my glass-half-full approach there.”

As of now, the management’s focus is on building a new arena for the Mavs while the team continues to pursue a title. The team’s current lease with the American Airlines Center runs through 2031 and the Adelson/Dumont families want to build a state-of-the-art arena with attached casinos and other high-profile facilities. Welts deemed it “the most important thing I’ll probably do while I’m here, to make sure we get that right.”

Not sure if a new arena would be enough to get over the betrayal of trading Doncic, but it’s surely a start. Obviously, the best way to win back the fans’ trust would be to win a championship and prove that the risk was worth it. Do you agree?