Mavericks fans holding 'Fire Nico' signs escorted out of arena

As Luka Doncic made his West Coast debut Monday to the delight of Los Angeles Lakers fans everywhere, the Dallas Mavericks were fighting a different battle with their crowd as they hosted the Sacramento Kings.

With Anthony Davis out for the contest and an undetermined amount of time, Mavericks fans weren't afraid to let the front office know what they thought of the trade that shipped out the former face of the franchise.

According to ESPN's Tim MacMahon, boos broke out as Dallas and Sacramento battled in the second half while Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont returned to his courtside seat.

MacMahon added that some fans were escorted out by security at American Airlines Center, including two who were holding signs that read "Fire Nico."

Nico Harrison, of course, is Dallas's general manager who reportedly initiated the Doncic-Davis swap with the Lakers.

MacMahon later reported that the Mavericks cited its code of conduct policy as the reason for the ejections.

"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, according to MacMahon.

Dumont publicly doubled down on the deal Sunday. His comments were widely scrutinized as he seemingly took aim at Doncic's work ethic.

Even with the signs being removed from the stadium, Mavericks fans continued to display their discontent in any way possible.

Tim Cato of All City reported that Mavericks game ops didn't show any fans on the jumbotron for the entirety of the team's return to Dallas on Saturday, and continued that approach through the first half on Monday.

But in the third quarter, fans got the chance to sing along to Whitney Houston's I Wanna Dance With Somebody on the big screen — the first time post-trade that the crowd was shown — and one supporter got his money's worth.

The fan mouthed — you guessed it — "Fire Nico" while on the jumbotron, forcing an immediate zoom out from the cameraman.

RJ Coyle of Dallas Morning News later posted a video of the fan being escorted out of the arena, as well.

MacMahon reported that two more fans were removed after shouting at Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban.

"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 of the Mavericks said in the statement in reference to the encounter with Cuban.

The Mavericks had already made moves to combat potential protests, according to MacMahon. They had increased the level of security and law enforcement personnel outside the arena ahead of their return home.

There's clearly some relationship reconstruction needed in Dallas, but short of a championship run led by Davis, it seems likely this Mavericks executive group made a deal they can't recover from.

The Kings won the game 129-128 in overtime. Head coach Jason Kidd did not speak to media after the game, which could be a violation of NBA rules. Multiple players did speak, however, including Klay Thompson and Kyrie Irving.

"It's not our job to get deflated because people are upset," Thompson said, according to ESPN's MacMahon. "Our job is to convince them that there's really great days ahead, not just for this year but for the next few years."

"You just got to give everybody grace," Irving added. "To see the emotions come out like that over basketball, that just shows you that basketball is not just a game to certain people. It's a spiritual experience. It's a connector piece, and they watch their favorite players and they want to see them forever. So I run the side of just understanding where people are coming from."