'People Like That Deserve to Say Goodbye': Donnie Nelson Breaks Silence on Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Dončić Trade

Donnie Nelson, the former longtime Dallas Mavericks executive who helped build the team around Dirk Nowitzki and Luka Dončić, believes the two franchise icons should have been treated the same and weren’t.

In an exclusive interview with Ekipa 24, Nelson, who recently joined the Slovenian basketball federation as a chief advisor to the federation and national team, reflected on the Mavericks’ legacy of loyalty with Nowitzki and expressed disappointment over how Dončić’s time in Dallas ended with a February 2025 trade to the Los Angeles Lakers.

“We were with Dirk Nowitzki for 21 years, and the last three years were out of pure respect,” Nelson told Ekipa 24. “People like that deserve to say goodbye on their own terms and according to their wishes, and everyone deserves a decent funeral – figurative or literal.”

Nelson admitted he was stunned by the trade, as were many in basketball.

“Everyone was shocked,” Nelson said. “Some of us are still shocked.”

While the basketball world will closely track both sides of the Dončić trade for years to come, Nelson noted the disappointment extended far beyond the court. The Mavericks faced criticism for leaking negative narratives about Dončić in the weeks after the deal — a practice Nelson pushed back on with a lesson from his mother,

“My mother said, if you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say anything,” Nelson said.

Reflecting on how the Mavericks once operated, Nelson emphasized that the team used to prioritize long-term relationships, community values, and treating stars with care.

“During my years in Dallas, we always considered what was important to that community,” Nelson said. “And we looked at the players being a part of that. It was never like we went to one of our ATMs, took out a player, used him until he was most useful, and then threw him away.”

While Nowitzki was celebrated with a farewell tour and ultimately had a statue erected outside American Airlines Center, Dončić — who became the face of the franchise and an international superstar under Nelson’s leadership — was traded at age 25 in the prime of his career.

“Of course, this is the NBA, and trades can happen; players come and go,” Nelson said. “But with all due respect, you have to understand that some players are different, special, and even more important to the environment and the community. It’s important to treat those players with respect.”

Though Nelson refrained from directly criticizing Mavericks leadership, he made it clear that Dončić’s departure was inconsistent with the franchise’s previous values.

“That’s why there was so much disappointment after what happened to Luka,” he said. “Not just my disappointment, but a universal disappointment. Could this happen to Real [Madrid]? Never. And it wouldn’t have happened when I was in Dallas.”

Nelson, who served as the Mavericks’ GM and president of basketball operations throughout Nowitzki’s career and orchestrated the trade that brought Dončić to Dallas, parted ways with the franchise in 2021. Still, he’s remained publicly supportive of both players.

Now, as Dončić turns the page in Los Angeles, Nelson is helping Slovenia prepare for EuroBasket 2025 with sights on qualifying for the 2028 LA Olympics.

“These things — the relationships, the values — they last forever,” Nelson said.

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