In NBA locker rooms — often framed as brotherhoods — you hear plenty of stories about players getting emotional when former teammates move on. Some even go out of their way to show up for each other years later. Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant recently did so by attending games featuring their former Memphis Grizzlies teammate, Desmond Bane.
But not every split carries that kind of sentiment. Sometimes, things land very differently. That was certainly the case when Mark Aguirre left the Dallas Mavericks. It showed in the blunt reaction from within Dallas, especially from Sam Perkins, who was still on that team.
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Aguirre’s exit sparked relief in Texas
Perkins certainly couldn’t hide his relief when Aguirre left Dallas for Detroit in February 1989. It made sense: for too long, the Mavericks forward had dealt with Mark’s antics, and with that gone, it was reason enough, in Sam’s mind, to celebrate.
“Yesterday was Valentine’s Day, but today should be an all-day party because he’s gone,” he said after the deal sent Aguirre to the Pistons for Adrian Dantley and a first-round pick.
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And the former NCAA champion didn’t stop there. Perkins didn’t offer well-wishes so much as a warning to Aguirre’s new team.
“Good luck, Detroit,” he remarked, before adding, “because you’ll need it.”
If there had ever been any luck in Dallas, it had long since run out.
The reason was simple.
Ever since Ziggy had arrived as the top pick out of DePaul in 1981 — already carrying a reputation as a “bad actor” — the locker room had steadily grown weary of him. That sentiment became clear in how teammates spoke about the three-time All-Star later on, with Rolando Blackman putting it bluntly, stating, “I won’t miss Mark.”
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The coaching staff likely felt the same way. After all, by most accounts, Aguirre had clashed repeatedly with coaches Dick Motta and John MacLeod. Meanwhile, the 6’6″ small forward was drawing headlines for tantrums and trade demands.
A dual legacy
You know those players where genius and chaos lie so close together. Aguirre fit right in that realm.
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He was the Mavericks’ first real star. That usually comes with averaging around 25 points a game over nearly a decade. Ziggy usually made it happen with an unconventional post-up game and a solid three-point shot.
But that was just the basketball side. The other stuff — away from the court — was every bit as visible, and you just couldn’t ignore it.
Motta once screamed, “You’re worthless!” and yanked him mid-game for helping an opponent up, calling it loafing. MacLeod predicted “tantrums along the way,” and DePaul coach Ray Meyer blamed an upbringing clashing with grown-ups.
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Ex-Mavericks center James Donaldson griped he would “loaf around” without effort. Blackman said Aguirre dominated only “when in the right frame of mind” and let teammates down.
As for Perkins, he questioned his “moodiness” and “chemical imbalance.”
For what Big Smooth had seen — and how others described it — it made sense that Aguirre’s unreliability would poison another contender. Dallas fans shared the sentiment. They booed their former star amid a playoff drought that followed.
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Still, even if Ziggy could get on anyone’s nerves sometimes, his playing skills ultimately outweighed his arguably difficult personality. That said, Aguirre’s number 24 Mavericks jersey was retired in a ceremony during a late January 2026 game.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on May 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.