The Dallas Mavericks have lost quite a bit of fan support in their hometown since they traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. Hundreds of fans have protested outside of games, while others have been thrown out of the arena for voicing their displeasure with the team’s moves. Anthony Davis, the star acquired in the Dončić deal, got hurt in his first game as a Maverick. Quentin Grimes, a young shooting guard dealt separately in February, just scored 44 points for the Philadelphia 76ers in a win over the Golden State Warriors. It seems as though just about everything that can go wrong for Dallas right now is going wrong.
And yet, the Mavericks are increasing season ticket prices, the team announced Monday, revealing that prices will go up by an average of 8.61% next season. Now, ticket price increases are the industry standard, but this seems notable in light of the aftermath of the trade. The Mavericks reportedly offered some fans refunds on their season tickets, according to ESPN, so they’re at least somewhat aware of the optics.
The Mavericks pointed out in Monday’s statement that the prices of season tickets represent projected savings of 15-23% compared to the secondary market for next season. That number, though, could be potentially misleading. Season-ticket prices are relatively stable compared to secondary-market prices, which can vary significantly based on specific game factors like opponent, health, and, most notably, fan interest. While the exact extent of lost fan interest in the wake of the Dončić trade cannot yet be measured, it seems fair to assume that a lot of fans in Dallas are less interested in attending Mavericks games than they were a few months ago. If demand decreases, it stands to reason that prices on the secondary market would as well.
A spokesperson for the Mavericks’ corporate communications declined to provide information on price hikes in previous seasons when reached by CBS Sports, but there has been some reporting on this front at least recently. Fans told The Dallas Morning News last season that their prices had risen between 20% and 50%, and that the team’s loyalty pricing program, which helped lock in costs for long-time ticket-holders, was discontinued. These changes were made for the 2024-25 season, the first full season following Mark Cuban’s sale of the team to Miriam Adelson and Patrick Dumont. The Mavericks said at the time that their prices remained at or below the NBA average.
Fans in Dallas were and remain incredibly attached to Dončić. They hoped he would spend his entire career as a Maverick like Dirk Nowitzki did before him. It’s going to take a long time for some of those fans to embrace this new version of the team, and ticket price hikes certainly won’t help matters.
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