"Nico behind the camera with a gun": NBA fans react as Luka Doncic's former $27,000,000 teammate snubs him from Mavs all-time lineup

Dallas Mavericks swingman Naji Marshall left Luka Doncic out of his all-time franchise starting five on Sunday. Marshall, who joined the Mavericks last season on a three-year $27,000,000 contract, spent nearly half the season with Doncic before the superstar guard was shockingly traded to the LA Lakers.

While they had an excellent relationship, it didn't matter for Marshall when he namedropped the Mavericks' best five-man lineup of all time. After playing in the Swin City League on Sunday, Marshall spoke to reporters briefly when he was asked about his all-time Mavericks starting five. Here's what he said:

"J-Kidd, Kyrie, Michael Finley, Dirk, Tyson Chandler."

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All five are still associated with the Mavericks in some capacity. Jason Kidd is the head coach, while Kyrie Irving is an active teammate. Finley is an executive, and Chandler is an assistant coach. Meanwhile, franchise legend Dirk Nowitzki is a special advisor.

Picking people still affiliated with the franchise was seemingly what Naji Marshall leaned on when naming his all-time Mavericks starting lineup. However, several fans took exception to Luka Doncic, a former Maverick, being left out.

One fan jokingly blamed Mavericks' General Manager Nico Harrison for it, saying:

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Naji Marshall was "hurt" after Mavericks forced Luka Doncic out

Luka Doncic was one of the major reasons why Naji Marshall joined the Dallas Mavericks last summer. He's always loved the Slovenian's game. The duo built a solid relationship in their limited time together.

So much so that Marshall admitted being "hurt" after Doncic left. Here's what he said in May on "The Young Man & The Three" podcast:

"I was hurt, man. Luka [Doncic] is my dog, for real. And I love AD [Anthony Davis] that's my guy right there. ... Personally, I was just hurt to lose Luka, man. It was a great time spent with him. The short time we did."

The Mavericks were expected to make another finals run after adding Naji Marshall and Klay Thompson to their core alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. They seemingly filled voids on the roster that lost to the Boston Celtics in Jun. 2024.

However, things didn't work out because of the infamous trade. Instead, Doncic may have to run through his former team to get to another finals, and his first as a Laker.

Also read: Luka Doncic announces his visit to Los Angeles on $228.6M extension deadline day with Lakers

Edited by Arhaan Raje