Mavericks GM getting boost in security for first home game since Luka Dončić trade after death threats: report

The Dallas Mavericks volition play their archetypal location crippled since the enactment traded Luka Dončić Saturday, and wide manager Nico Harrison volition beryllium connected alert.

The commercialized took the entire sports world by surprise, and Mavs fans person made their displeasure known.

The choler is understandable. A 25-year-old planetary superstar who led the NBA successful scoring past twelvemonth and helped the Mavs to an NBA Finals quality was traded away.

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Dallas Mavericks defender Luka Dončić connected the seat during the 2nd 4th against the Washington Wizards astatine the American Airlines Center successful Dallas Jan. 27, 2025. (Jerome Miron/Imagn Images)

Protests took spot extracurricular American Airlines Center Sunday, with 1 radical of fans adjacent bringing a casket to signify their fandom dying.

But different fans person seemingly taken it to an unacceptable level and person made decease threats against Harrison.

According to ESPN, that has led to "beefed up" information for Harrison for Saturday's game.

"This is simply a heartbroken instrumentality base. There person been immoderate precise unfortunate developments regarding that anger. Nico Harrison has been subjected to decease threats. There person been radical epithets included successful immoderate of those. Certainly, information is going to beryllium beefed up. There volition beryllium protests extracurricular the arena," Tim McMahon said connected Friday. 

"Nico Harrison is not going to beryllium successful his mean seat. There's nary crushed to taxable him to that benignant of information risk. That has been an unfortunate portion of this storyline. Obviously, the fans' anger, they person each close to consciousness similar they got a generational superstar ripped distant from them, but, certainly, lines person been crossed."

Los Angeles Lakers defender Luka Dončić poses for photos with wide manager Rob Pelinka and caput manager JJ Redick astatine UCLA Health Training Center.  (Gary A. Vasquez/Imagn Images)

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Harrison cited defence arsenic a superior crushed for the trade, portion besides noting the hazard Dončić, eligible for a $345 cardinal contract, could person near the squad adjacent year.

"We truly consciousness similar we got up of what was going to beryllium a tumultuous summer, him being eligible for the supermax and besides a twelvemonth distant from him being capable to opt retired of immoderate contract," Harrison said earlier this week. "And truthful we truly felt similar we got retired successful beforehand of that. We cognize teams, they’ve had it retired there, teams person been loading up to effort to motion him erstwhile that comes available."

The Lakers acquired Dončić, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris, portion the Mavericks got Anthony Davis, Max Christie and Los Angeles' 2029 first-round pick. To implicit the deal, the Utah Jazz acquired Jalen Hood-Schifino and 2 second-round picks.

In the Mavs' archetypal crippled without Dončić, they mislaid by implicit 40 points, but neither Kyrie Irving nor Davis played.

The Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Dončić speaks during an introductory property league Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, successful El Segundo, Calif.  (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

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Dallas volition big the Houston Rockets astatine 3 p.m. ET Saturday.

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