2 weeks Ago By Andrew Gamble
Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison comically clashed with a reporter who questioned the controversial Luka Doncic trade. Back in February ahead of the NBA trade deadline, Doncic was traded alongside Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for perennial All-Star power forward Anthony Davis , Max Christie , and a 2029 first-round pick. The trade stunned the sporting world, marking the first time two reigning All-NBA players were traded for each other midseason.
On Tuesday, the Mavericks decided to host a “roundtable” where Harrison and CEO Rick Welts would face questions from a select group of reporters. Harrison had not done any interviews since the morning after he controversially traded the five-time First-team All-Pro Doncic to the Lakers - and the invite came with conditions: no live tweeting, no live streaming, no cameras or audio clips released. When questions opened for Harrison, ESPN reporter Tim McMahon pressed the GM.
He questioned why the Mavericks created a “three to four-year timeframe” to deliver a championship, after which their draft picks are out of their control, and why losing Doncic - who McMahon described as “one of the best players we’ve seen” and who took Dallas to the NBA Finals last season - was necessary. “I keep saying the same thing, but defense wins championships,” Harrison replied. “I believe that we have a championship-caliber team, not only for now, but also for the future.
Obviously, the future will hold if I’m right or wrong, and ultimately, we’re going to be held to the standard of wins and losses, and every executive in every field is going to be held to that same standard.” McMahon again suggested Harrison’s logic was nonsensical given the lack of draft capital, to which the GM replied: “Like I said, we believe in the move we made. You obviously don’t, and that’s fine, and you’re entitled to your opinions, but we’re excited about the future of our team.
” Fans remain aggrieved and outlined their frustration on social media. User Mavs Film Room on X posted the transcript of McMahon and Harrison’s clash, along with the caption: “This exchange between Nico and Tim MacMahon is something out of an SNL skit.” Harrison returned to the “defense wins championships” line throughout the hour-long conference as reporters peppered him with questions he had declined to answer for two months.
He insisted the Mavs wanted a “two-way player” and swooped for Davis when Doncic was on the table. Asked if he regretted the trade, Harrison defiantly declared: “No. Every trade I’ve made since I’ve been here has been met with high scrutiny.
So eventually I’ll earn the trust of this community that some of these trades work out. The roster that would’ve been on the floor [had it not been for injuries], that’s a championship-caliber team. And although fans could have been upset with trading Luka, they wouldn’t have been upset with the results.
” He then surprisingly added: “Some of those decisions are going to be unpopular, maybe to Dirk [Nowitzki] and maybe to the fans, but my obligation is to the Dallas Mavericks.” It was a remarkable interaction, with Harrison willing to die on the hill that Doncic was somehow a liability despite literally dragging the Mavs to the NBA Finals less than 12 months ago. Dallas takes on the Sacramento Kings in the Western Conference Play-In Tournament on Wednesday, April 16.
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