Anthony Davis Discusses Anonymous Letter Given By Mavericks Fan After Lakers Trade

To say that Dallas Mavericks fans weren't happy about the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis would be underselling it. There were protests outside the arena, "Fire Nico" chants across the city for months until Nico Harrison was finally fired, and a lot of boos.

However, they were never upset about having Anthony Davis; they were just upset about losing Luka Doncic for the minimal return they received. Doncic is a generational player entering his prime and had just taken the Mavs to the NBA Finals a few months before, Davis is past his prime, and the Mavs only got one first-round pick because of Harrison's obsession with Davis.

One fan wanted to make it clear that the hate Davis was going to hear was not directed toward Davis directly. He told the story on Draymond Green's podcast this week.

"I get to Dallas, I check into the hotel, and I go get some food, and I come back, because I didn't play right away. I get back to the Crescent... they've got the little mailing cards that you can write, and it was one under my door. I picked it up with some macaroons on the door handle... I open the door, and I get the letter, and it read, 'Dear AD, hope you're liking your time in Dallas. Here in Dallas, we love Dirk [Nowitzki], barbecue, Luka, and the Cowboys. But what we love more than all of that is championships. The boos you're going to hear are not for you.' It had no name, nothing."

Anthony Davis talks receiving an anonymous letter during his first day in Dallas:

“Here in Dallas we like Dirk, barbecue, Luka, and the Cowboys…” @DraymondShow pic.twitter.com/l4cpg9p8MN
— Next Clips (@nextclipsdaily) April 9, 2026

Anthony Davis Was In a No-Win Situation in Dallas

The Mavericks were never going to be successful with Davis as the primary hub. That roster was tailor-made for a playmaker like Luka Doncic, and taking him away from that made it a clunky fit. They didn't have nearly enough playmaking or shooting to make up for that loss, and even in that lone game he played with Irving, the offense looked rough.

Davis could've been an All-Star-level player in Dallas, but it would've been hard for the fanbase to accept him. Luka Doncic was Dallas. He felt adopted by the city. It was never going to be that same way for Davis.

It was best for the Mavs to cut bait while they could. While it was a horrible return on investment, what they got was better than nothing. And Davis gave them a whole lot of nothing.

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