Mavericks CEO makes embarrassing Warriors comparison for Luka Doncic-Lakers trade

The former Warriors CEO may not be completely in tune with the Mavericks.

Mar 31, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts to a play during the third quarter against the Houston Rockets at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks find new ways to embarrass themselves. Mavs General Manager Nico Harrison and CEO Rick Welts spoke to select members of the local Dallas media on Tuesday morning about the Luka Doncic trade without any cameras, and Harrison's comments were shocking enough, but Welts wasn't much better.

Welts is a Hall-of-Fame basketball executive, instrumental in the development of the NBA's All-Star Weekend, and the former CEO of the Golden State Warriors as they blossomed into a dynasty. That led Welts to make an interesting Warriors comparison to the Luka Doncic trade.

READ MORE: Nico Harrison makes shocking comments about Mavericks fanbase

Jan 22, 2011; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30), guard Monta Ellis (8), and forward Dorell Wright (1) walk up the court during the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center. The Clippers won 113-109. Mandatory Credit: Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-Imagn Images / Kelvin Kuo-Imagn Images

DLLS' Tim Cato was one of the media members in attendance for the meeting, and while he reported that Rick Welts didn't say much, Welts did say, "The Golden State Warriors once traded Monta Ellis for Andrew Bogut. Monta Ellis was beloved... Bogut wasn't going to play that year, Bogut's not really a marketable player... It got better because they had a guard named Steph Curry, and Steph Curry came in and made the entire fanbase love him."

With all due respect to former Maverick Monta Ellis, he was far from the caliber that Luka Doncic is. Ellis never made an All-Star Game or an All-NBA team, but he did win the NBA's Most Improved Players in the 2006-07 season! Meanwhile, Doncic, at 25-year-old at the time of the trade, made five First-Team All-NBAs and All-Star Games, was the NBA's scoring champion in the 2023-24 season, and led the Mavs to the NBA Finals last season.

Also, the Warriors had already drafted Stephen Curry when they traded Ellis. The Mavericks only have one recently drafted lottery pick on the roster in Dereck Lively II, who projects as a high-level two-way center, not an offensive supernova. And because the Mavericks traded away a lot of its first-round draft picks, they don't have a lot of opportunities to potentially draft a superstar.

This was a bad comparison on all fronts and just further evidence of how out of touch the Mavericks are with its fanbase.

READ MORE: Mavs' Nico Harrison pulls cowardly move, breaks silence on Luka Doncic-Lakers trade

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