Charles Barkley expressed his disappointment with Nico Harrison in a recent statement on ‘Inside the NBA’. While directly addressing the Dallas Mavericks GM, Barkley said:
“I consider you [Nico Harrison] a friend of mine. I wish you nothing but the best. I thought you did a great job last year with the Mavs, and obviously, whatever happened this year didn’t work out.”
“Man, don’t do any more press conferences,” he continued. “I don’t even know what you’re doing. I really don’t. I’ve got sympathy and love for you, but I have zero idea what you’re trying to do.”
He concluded by saying: “This war is over, brother. You taking the L. I hope you keep your job. I hope that team gets healthy. But, man, don’t do any more interviews. Please don’t.”
"This war is over, brother. You taking the L." – Charles Barkley to Nico Harrisonpic.twitter.com/k20D0ECcYD
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) April 21, 2025
Charles Barkley referred to a recent interview given by Harrison. The Mavs GM claimed he wasn’t prepared for the outrage from the fanbase since he didn’t realize how valuable Luka Doncic was to them.
The Doncic trade was one of the most controversial decisions in the history of the Dallas Mavericks as a franchise. To build a roster to contend for a title, the Mavericks’ GM opted to trade a generational talent in Doncic, a player who had taken them to the NBA Finals a season ago, to acquire an injury-prone star in Anthony Davis.
The whole situation has been a PR nightmare for Harrison, and he has failed in virtually every attempt to salvage his image since then.
Harrison’s comments about the fanbase’s outrage come from a place of great ignorance. Although the Mavs’ GM has made attempts to speak with the media to address the situation and explain himself, it hasn’t yielded positive results.
Instead, it has simply highlighted the carelessness of his decision-making abilities and infuriated the fans further. Mavs owner Patrick Dumont has also reportedly been frustrated with Harrison’s actions.
The results of the trade have been evident as the Mavericks found themselves out of the playoff picture following a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies in the Play-In tournament. The game also saw Davis walk off the court with an apparent injury, extending their list of injured stars.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers saw a massive boost in performance following Doncic’s arrival. The Lakers subsequently ended the regular season as the third seed in the West and are currently playing against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the postseason.
The Mavericks will still have some reason to be hopeful for next season as Davis will return to the lineup. With the possibility of Kyrie Irving also making an early return from injury, fans have positive things to look forward to. However, this season will certainly be one they’d like to forget.
