A few days ago, Dallas Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont spoke publicly for the first time since the team made a seismic trade that sent guard Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.
He seemingly defended the controversial move by the Mavericks and cited “character” and “culture” when giving a rationale for the trade. Dumont also took a shot at Doncic and his work ethic compared to greats like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Larry Bird and Shaquille O’Neal.
Former NBA forward Matt Barnes won a title with the Golden State Warriors in the final season of his pro career, and he drew a connection between Dumont’s criticisms of Doncic and the fact that the team’s majority owner Miriam Adelson donated a whopping $100 million to President Donald Trump.
“When Patrick Dumont talked to the Dallas media, he said that Luka just really doesn’t fit the shape almost of the greats before him — the Jordans, the Birds, the Shaqs, the Kobes,” Barnes began. “Spoke on his work ethic and him kind of being a lazy player and all kinds of, again, just disrespectful things you normally don’t hear from an owner. But does this surprise you? This kind of reminds me of the guy sitting in the Oval Office right now. Always disrespecting, always kind of take low shots at people. But to no surprise, this leadership of the Dallas Mavericks donated $100 million to Trump. So, maybe they took a page out of his book on the disrespectful tip.”
Trump hasn’t been in office for all that long, as he was sworn in late last month following the end of Joe Biden’s four-year term in the White House. But the Republican has a track record of hurling insults at his political enemies, especially those on the other side of the aisle. He has referred to Biden as the worst president in the history of the country on more than one occasion.
Dumont doesn’t exactly seem to be a beloved figure among Mavericks fans at the moment in light of the team’s decision to part ways with one of the more talented players who’s ever suited up for the franchise. After the Mavericks suffered a one-point loss to the Sacramento Kings at American Airlines Center on Feb. 10, the boo birds rained down on Dumont as he headed for the tunnel along with the players.
The Dallas Mavericks head to the locker room after a 129-128 loss to the Sacramento Kings.
Patrick Dumont and Mark Cuban were also in the mix.
Dumont was booed as he went though the tunnel. pic.twitter.com/rHRe2lkcnQ
— Noah Weber (@noahweber00) February 11, 2025
Wins have been somewhat hard to come by for Dallas ever since the Slovenian was dealt to the storied Lakers franchise. The Mavericks have won just three of their last six games and own the No. 8 seed in the West.
Additionally, the crown jewel of the trade from Dallas’ perspective in Anthony Davis has already gone down with an injury. He suffered an adductor strain in his Mavericks debut versus the Houston Rockets on Feb. 8, and the expectation is that he will be sidelined for multiple weeks. He starred in his first game in a Dallas uniform with 26 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists and three blocked shots before getting injured.
