Commentary: This is not how the Luka Doncic era was supposed to end in Dallas

DALLAS This was not how it was supposed to end.

Not now.

Not like this.

Being a sports fan is an agreement between heart and pride.

For the lucky ones, it's a lifetime deal.

Players come and go.

Coaches and managers, too.

Ownership can change as well.

Those who remain are the ones who make it all possible: the fans.

Loyalty is a word rooted in trust.

Nowadays, it's a trait you see less and less of in sports.

College athletes transfer from school to school.

Pro athletes bounce from team to team.

Everything is transactional because everything in sports is a business.

It's rare to see a player stick with one team for the duration of his or her career, but Dallas Mavericks fans were blessed with the greatest loyalty story in basketball history.

Dirk Nowitzki spent all 21 years of his Hall of Fame career with the Mavs.

There was no shortage of adversity.

Losing in the 2006 NBA Finals.

Coming up woefully short in 2007.

But, the 2011 NBA Championship made it all worth it in the end.

Then came 2018: The final season for Dirk and the first for Luka Doncic.

It was the passing of the Mavericks torch from one generational talent to the next.

To MFFLs, the story was already written.

Pre-ordained, even.

They had their next star for the next 21 years a teenager from Slovenia who became the baby face of the franchise.

Luka embraced Dallas.

Dallas embraced Luka.

Superstardom at a young age can change a person.

For Luka, he never lost sight of who looked up to him the most.

He always made time for kids.

He always made time.

Over seven years, Luka Doncic was not just a player for the Mavericks...

he was the Mavericks.

One of the top players in the world played for the Mavs.

Fans were proud of that because he was theirs.

Through thick and thin, he was theirs.

Then came the nightmare.

Late on a Saturday evening, the Mavericks front office traded away the most popular current athlete in Dallas sports.

The Mavs ownership group is not from here.

To them, the franchise is part of their portfolio.

The general manager is not from here.

To him, this is a job.

True loyalty cannot be found from people who are not emotionally invested.

And when that loyalty is broken, how can you ever trust that person again? By trading Luka Doncic, the Mavs did not just give up a basketball player.

They gave up hope.

The hope fans clutch with both hands.

The hope for a brighter future.

Mavs GM Nico Harrison seems to think that winning will mend the broken hearts.

In most cases, that's true but this may be the exception.

There is a sentiment among many Mavericks fans who would rather lose with Luka -- than win without him.

Why? Because he was theirs.

And now he's not.

We'll always have those 7 years of Luka Magic.

But, we should've had 14 more..

This article has been shared from the original article on wfaa, here is the link to the original article.