Mavs Fans Holding 'Fire Nico' Signs Ejected During Kings Game After Luka Trade

Dallas Mavericks fans are still unhappy with general manager Nico Harrison for trading star guard Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers, and some of them paid the price for letting their feelings be known during Monday's 129-128 loss to the Sacramento Kings.

Per ESPN's Tim MacMahon, multiple Mavs fans were ejected in the second half of Monday's contest at American Airlines Center. A team spokesperson said their ejections were due to violations of the NBA's code of conduct.

Two fans held large signs that read, "FIRE NICO," and one of them was seen mouthing the phrase on the arena video screens before the camera panned away from him. They were later seen being escorted out of the arena, which generated loud boos from the rest of the fans in attendance.

"In the first incident, the guest brought in a sign that broke the following rule included in the NBA Code of Conduct: Clothing, garments or signs displaying explicit language, profanity or derogatory characterization towards any person(s)," Mavericks vice president of corporate communications Erin Finegold said in a statement.

MacMahon noted that arena security "has been strictly enforcing NBA rules limiting the size of fans' signs" since the shocking trade that sent Dončić to the Lakers as part of a deal to acquire star big man Anthony Davis. Harrison and the Mavs' new ownership group led by team governor Patrick Dumont have faced a tidal wave of backlash since the deal.

Harrison reportedly didn't attend Saturday's home win against the Houston Rockets, but he "was in the arena Monday night but did not sit in his usual seat in the lower bowl of the stands," MacMahon explained.

In another instance late in Monday's game, two men were ejected following a shouting match with longtime Mavs governor Mark Cuban. One of the men was wearing Dončić's Slovenian national team jersey. Cuban told MacMahon that the fans were yelling, "Fire Nico!" while Dallas players were shooting free throws and again during a crucial possession late in the game.

"In the second incident, the fan wore a T-shirt that also broke the rule [cited] and was also intoxicated, disruptive and uncooperative, all listed in the NBA Fan Code of Conduct," Finegold said in the statement.

Mavs players said they understood the fans' frustrations following the trade, and it's their right to let their displeasure be known.

"I mean, people are going to say stuff, and that's understandable. I was a fan, still a fan. If I didn't agree with a trade, I'd probably voice my opinion too," veteran guard Klay Thompson said. "That's the beauty of sports. You go there to yell and be rambunctious sometimes."