No one could’ve predicted last month would’ve been so disastrous for the Mavericks. It’s unfortunate because a good chunk of the damage is self-inflicted. It began when general manager Nico Harrison inexplicably traded their franchise superstar Luka Doncic to the Lakers. Shortly after, injuries began to pile up, essentially derailing their season. Then, amid turmoil and fan uproar, the organization raised ticket prices. NBA legend Charles Barkley ripped the Mavs for the insensitive decision.
Advertisement
On March 4, the Mavericks announced an 8.61% price hike for 2025-2026 tickets. Fans were still reeling from the Doncic trade and had no time to prepare for this bombshell.
Barkley was appalled by the news. He took to the recent episode of The Steam Room to voice his frustration and anger with the Mavs organization.
“The person who announced this week that y’all raising ticket prices got to be the dumbest person in history,” Barkley said. “You got to read the room, guys. It’s not the time.”
The Mavericks showed a very unique way of going about damage control. The fan base is still extremely angry with the team for trading their beloved franchise cornerstone. The news regarding ticket prices was a slap in the face to the fans’ emotions.
Barkley didn’t bash the Mavs for raising the prices of tickets in general, but he did question their timing, considering how sensitive the climate is in Dallas. To make matters worse, the news came only hours before the team announced Kyrie Irving would miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL.
The Inside the NBA star admitted he feels sorry for Irving and Anthony Davis for their ongoing injuries. He also showed love to Nico Harrison, but he had to keep it real for their poor decision-making.
Barkley was a big believer in the Mavericks following the blockbuster trade
Following the Luka-Davis trade, the majority of people called this a horrible move for the Mavericks. However, Barkley saw value in the deal for their short-term window.
Barkley believed the Mavericks were strong in the Western Conference with a fully healthy AD and was confident in his assessment.
“The Dallas Mavericks, they might have just became the 2nd best team in the Western Conference,” Barkley said.
Of course, Barkley’s prediction won’t have a chance of turning into reality due to all the Mavericks’ injuries, as their situation continues to go from bad to worse.
