The Lakers got dismantled tonight as they lost 92-121 to the defending champions, the Thunder. But the biggest news in the NBA world right now was the firing of Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison following the Luka Doncic trade and the resulting struggles of the team.
Doncic was asked after the Thunder game what he felt about his former team parting ways with Harrison. He still reiterated that a part of him always stays in Dallas, but he’s focused on his situation in Los Angeles at the moment and is trying to move on from the Mavericks.
“Just, the city of Dallas, the fans, the players, they’ll always have a special place in my heart. I thought I was going to stay there forever, but I didn’t. So, that will always be a special place for me.”
“I will always call it home. But right now I’m focused on the Lakers and trying to move on. But obviously, there will always be a part of me there. But just trying to move on and focus on what I’m doing here,” said Doncic.
Doncic struggled tonight in the Lakers’ blowout loss to the defending champions, who have started the season on a heater. This game marked the Thunder’s fourth consecutive win as they went 12-1 for the season, while the Lakers fell to an 8-4 record.
The Slovenian star had 19 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists, while shooting 7-of-20 from the field (35%) and 1-of-7 from the three-point line (14.3%).
Clearly, Doncic had nothing much to say about Harrison’s firing, as he either doesn’t care about Nico Harrison or wants to let his game seek his revenge with his former franchise. But irrespective, Doncic took the gentleman’s route and did not say anything personal about Harrison or the Mavericks.
The Mavericks’ governor has reportedly admitted that trading away Doncic was a mistake. The Mavericks have had a horrible start to the first whole season without their former superstar, Doncic. They are currently 3-9 for the season after their most recent 114-123 loss to the Suns.
Additionally, there are also rumors that Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson are not happy with the team anymore and would prefer a trade away from the team. Therefore, it is a reasonable conclusion that the Lakers won that trade.
Since June 2021, Nico Harrison had been the Mavericks’ general manager. He had a 182-157 overall record with the team. However, the Mavericks’ record has been 16-29 since Doncic was traded away from them in February of this year, which was heartbreaking. They have not demonstrated unity, consistency, or the ability to work together.
