Mavericks had “K9 unit” for Luka Doncic’s return amid Nico Harrison’s presence and security concerns: Report
The blockbuster trade that shipped Luka Doncic out of Dallas was met with intense fury from the Mavericks fanbase two months ago. When the time came for Doncic, now an LA Lakers star, to make his return to Dallas, his former team had to take some extra precautions.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Mavericks beefed up security at the American Airlines Center for the game against the Lakers on Wednesday:
"Outside the arena, there was a lot of security when I got there early," Stein said on Thursday's episode of "The Zach Lowe" podcast. "There's, like, the K9 unit. You don't see that in a typical regular season game." [Timestamp - 18:31]
Stein went on to explain that the revamped security was a preemptive move against potentially heated emotional responses from "a heartbroken fanbase."
Indeed, for the past two months, Mavericks fans have not shied away from letting the team know how they felt about the loss of the beloved Slovenian guard. Chants and signs of "Fire Nico," directed at Mavs GM Nico Harrison, who facilitated the Doncic trade, have been prominent at the American Airlines Center since mid-February.
Stein added that Harrison has beefed up his own security detail in the wake of the Doncic trade:
"Nico Harrison is in the tunnel between the two benches. That's where he's been watching every game with security," Stein explained. [Timestamp - 18:21]
In all likelihood, the Mavs organization breathed a collective sigh of relief when no major incident happened on game day. Doncic went off for 45 points as the Lakers defeated the Mavericks 112-97 in front of an appreciative Dallas crowd.
Luka Doncic says that it's "time to move on" following Lakers win in Dallas
After the Lakers' resounding victory, Doncic was asked by ESPN reporter Lisa Salters to describe his feelings in his Dallas comeback. Doncic responded with an emotionally charged statement:
"I love these fans, I love this city, but it's time to move on," he said. [Timestamp - 13:22]
If anything, those words punctuate a dramatic story of departure that has taken an entire fanbase on a roller coaster of emotions.