When the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic on February 1, they weren't just turning a cold shoulder to Doncic; they were also blindsiding everyone who was close to him, whether those people were inside or outside the Mavericks organization or not. What hurt many long-time Mavericks fans more deeply than anything was seeing the shock and despair from franchise legend Dirk Nowitzki.
Reports even surfaced that Nowitzki was as distant as ever from the Mavericks following the trade, especially since Nico Harrison and company removed tons of people from Dallas' organization that worked both closely with Doncic and Nowitzki throughout their time in Dallas.