Five ways Mavericks can earn back trust of their fans

Fans of the Dallas Mavericks haven't yet forgiven team management for trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in February. Firing general manager Nico Harrison on Tuesday was a necessary first step in moving on from the franchise-altering decision, but there's more work to be done. Here are five ways the Mavericks can regain their fans' trust.

1. Don't bring back Mark Cuban

Mark Cuban sold a controlling stake in the Mavericks to the Adelson family two years ago and quickly lost control of basketball operations. He spent liberally in his more than two decades as team owner, winning a title in 2011, and has insisted that he would have divorced his wife before trading Doncic.

That said, Cuban also managed an organization alleged to be full of sexual harassment, misogyny and domestic violence, and he overlooked the toxic work environment. He hired a professional sports gambler to a top executive role, who then alienated employees and Doncic. After winning the 2011 championship, Cuban disbanded the title team to cut costs, and the Mavericks did not win another playoff series for 11 years.

It seems like Cuban has been more focused on his own publicity than on basketball lately. He skipped meetings with key free agents to film "Shark Tank" and has spent a lot of time defending Kawhi Leonard's shady endorsement deal. Dallas needs to move forward, not go backwards.

2. Let Cooper Flagg start playing forward again

The Mavericks drafted college star Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 pick, but didn't set him up for success. With Kyrie Irving recovering from a torn ACL, Dallas signed journeyman D'Angelo Russell, who has always been a score-first point guard, and he lost the trust of head coach Jason Kidd almost immediately.

Flagg has been forced to play point guard, a completely new position for him. It's no surprise that his shooting percentages are low and his turnovers are high as he learns on the job. Dallas finally shifted PG Brandon Williams into the starting lineup on Wednesday and shifted Flagg to the frontcourt, a change that should be permanent.

3. Don't rush the injured stars back

Although early in the season, at 3-9, the Mavericks' chances of making the playoffs are slim. The team should avoid making a bad situation worse by rushing back injured Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving. Both stars are signed long-term, and there's less to play for in 2025-26.

4. Freeze ticket prices

In one of the most tone-deaf moves since the new ownership took over, the Mavericks responded to fan discontent over the Doncic trade by raising ticket prices by 8%. If the team is going to trade their most beloved player and lose many basketball games, they should at least stop gouging their fans to watch a terrible team.

5. Patrick Dumont should apologize to someone more sympathetic

On Monday night, team governor Patrick Dumont sat with a young fan wearing a Doncic Lakers jersey. Dumont apologized for the Doncic trade, calling it a mistake. However, the fan wasn't very forgiving. The 18-year-old, whose father owns season tickets in the fourth row, priced at over $10K per seat, cursed at Dumont and flipped him off. Dumont apologizing to someone in cheaper seats might be a better idea.