Chris Hernandez’s favorite room inside his Garland home feels a little like The Hangar, the Mavericks merchandise shop at American Airlines Center.
An 82-inch TV takes up the most space, but among the bevy of bobbleheads and posters in the Mavericks man cave, what stands out is a framed Luka Doncic No. 77 jersey. Hernandez had it autographed in 2018, when the rookie made his first public appearance in North Texas at Nebraska Furniture Mart.
Hernandez, 30, became a Mavericks season ticket holder that same year, but the events of Feb. 1 triggered a change of heart.
“I had anxiety the whole night,” Hernandez said. “I was just really hoping that I was going to wake up and it was going to be a mistake.
Instead, he cried when the morning dawned with the reality that the Mavericks had traded the face of their franchise to the Los Angeles Lakers in a blockbuster deal for Anthony Davis. Wednesday, Doncic will return to Dallas two months after that infamous winter night.
Hernandez counts himself among the fans who’ve detached themselves from the Mavericks but continue to support Doncic. He decided against renewing his tickets for the 2025-26 season and donned a purple-and-gold No. 77 jersey for a recent game against the Phoenix Suns, an attempt to needle Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison.
I don’t see myself rooting for the Mavs unless there’s a complete overhaul of management and ownership, which ain’t going to happen,” he said. “I’m definitely going to be supporting Luka for the rest of his career.”
Hernandez is one of several fans who spoke to The Dallas Morning News about expectations for Doncic’s homecoming, how the trade has affected their fandom and whether they’ll continue to support the franchise.
Leslie Hutchins began her MFFL journey around the age of 12 when Dallas drafted Jason Kidd with the second overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft. The Doncic trade reminded her of when the Mavericks abruptly traded Kidd to the Suns in 1996.
Hutchins, 43, didn’t grow up in the social media era, which has allowed fans to form deeper connections with their favorite athletes. As a result, she clung tightly to the one similarity she knew she shared with Kidd — being biracial.
It’s why Hutchins boycotted the team for a year after Kidd was traded. But this time around, she said she supports the new iteration of the Mavericks because she understands trades are a natural part of sports.
I just feel like it’s a no-win situation on both ends,” Hutchins said. “But I think what we need to do as Maverick fans is to support Luka and not make it about Nico [Harrison] and about the trade, but support him and what he’s brought to Dallas.”
Hutchins is an Abilene neurosurgeon by day and an avid Mavericks fan by night. Though not a season ticket holder, she’s driven the five-hour round trip to American Airlines Center to attend nearly 20 games this season, and she’ll be in the building Wednesday for Doncic’s return.
He was listed with a right groin strain heading into the Lakers’ game Tuesday against Oklahoma City. If cleared to play Wednesday, Doncic will be seeking his second career win over his former team after recording a triple-double in their Feb. 25 meeting in Los Angeles.
“The Mavericks should do something to support his first game back, and they need more than a [tribute] video,” Hutchins said. “It’s going to be bittersweet, but I know the fans are going to appreciate it.
Doncic and the Lakers are in a tight contest for playoff seeding, and the final few games of the season could determine whether they finish as high as second in the West or as low as eighth. The Lakers are 19-12 since acquiring Doncic, 15-9 with him in the lineup. The Mavericks are 12-18 since Davis joined the team, but 5-2 with him in the lineup.
They’ll enter Wednesday’s game on three days of rest, while the Lakers will be playing their third game in four nights.
Davis said he doesn’t have any emotions going into his first game against the Lakers since the trade, while Mavericks coach Jason Kidd called it “just another home game,” before adding that the atmosphere at AAC will be “electric.”
That might be putting it mildly.
“It’s going to be a madhouse,” said Tomas Espinoza, the longtime moderator of the r/Mavericks sub on Reddit.
Espinoza took over as moderator from a friend in 2016, growing the subreddit to more than 700,000 followers. He remains active but tries to steer clear of the negativity that can come with the melting pot of opinions.
While some of his friends have flocked to the Lakers’ bandwagon, Espinoza plans to use the looming offseason to take a step back and reassess if he wants to remain as engaged. Despite the trade, he’s optimistic for the team’s future. Maybe not Harrison’s “three-to-four year” future, but the future nonetheless.
There’s a rainbow somewhere at the end of all this,” Espinoza said. “I don’t know where it is. I don’t know when it’s going to show up, but it’s somewhere.”
Like many Mavericks fans, Espinoza takes issue with not only the trade itself, but also the gradual erasure of Doncic’s likeness in promotional videos and around the team’s practice facility.
The Mavericks entered the season with a memorabilia case in their practice facility named “Mavs Magic,” which highlighted notable moments and items since Doncic was drafted in 2018. Since the trade, four of Doncic’s items have been replaced and the case has been renamed “The Road Ahead,” signaling a new direction for the team. One without Doncic.
Unlike the Mavericks’ case, Hernandez’s man cave will remain intact, with his Doncic items in their respective locations. He won’t add his Doncic Lakers jersey to the mix, but he’ll be wearing it Wednesday when the superstar returns to American Airlines Center.
I’ve been so passionate about the Mavs my entire life, and they brought me and my family a lot of joy,” he said. “I’ll always cherish that, especially with [Doncic and Nowitzki], so I’m definitely keeping their stuff up.”
