If you're an NBA team, what your fans think actually does matter

A thought exercise around -- what else? -- the Luka trade.

Good morning. Let’s basketball.

Blue Bonnet Field, Early Morning, San Antonio, Texas; Julian Onderdonk; 1914

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Mailbag Time

Since the NBA is off until Thursday, let’s do a mailbag this week. Submit questions via the comments on this post or by replying to this email.

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Feelings vs. Results

A trio from The Athletic put out a new Nico Harrison treatise in which the Mavericks GM is framed up as someone who isn’t at all impulsive, can keep a secret and values trust highly. It has me thinking about the trade-offs between running a sports team how best you see fit and running a sports team to maintain fan interest and dedication.

Obviously, as has been discussed ad nauseum, Harrison thought swapping Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a pick put the Mavericks in better position to contend for championships. Even if you think that and believe that, what do you owe the fans of the Mavericks in making such a huge trade? After all, this is an entertainment product. The customer base is the fandom. The core business reason you want to win championships is to please and expand the fandom so that you can, under our capitalistic society, further make money off of it. Even if you believe a trade like this gets you closer, if you straight-up alienate 25% of your fandom and they disappear overnight, is it worth it in the end? And if your belief is misplaced and you don’t get back to the Finals in the AD era? Then what?