NBA Fans Compare Luka's Lakers Debut to Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake with Dirk Attending

Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki may have sent a subtle message to the organization when he chose to attend Luka Dončić's debut with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Hall of Famer was on hand to watch Dončić put up 14 points, five rebounds and four assists in a 132-113 win over the Utah Jazz on Monday night.

The fallout from trading the five-time All-Star to the Lakers was immediate in Dallas, with fans gathering outside of American Airlines Center and some even staging a mock funeral.

Just when the anger might have started to subside a bit, the Mavs fanbase saw the greatest player in franchise history travel to L.A. to watch the star identified a his heir apparent don purple and gold.

Perhaps Nowitzki was there merely to support Dončić, but quite a few on social media thought an ulterior motive was at play:

Compounding matters, the Mavericks suffered a 129-128 overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings on Monday, and it appears the organization kicked out a fan who called for the firing of general manager Nico Harrison.

According to ESPN's Tim MacMahon, multiple people were escorted out on the night for what the team said were violations of the NBA Code of Conduct.

The All-Star break probably can't come soon enough for the Mavericks if only because they won't have any home games for fans to continue voice their displeasure.

In general, it's one thing for a fanbase to be upset over a controversial trade. By and large, that dissipates over time. If the Mavs have alienated Nowitzki, though, then there may be a much wider breach than anybody realized.