The Dallas Mavericks‘ 2024-25 season has officially ended following a 120-106 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum on Friday in the Play-In Tournament. A crushing loss was, in a way, a fitting end to what has been a disastrous campaign following the Luka Doncic trade, and NBA fans roasted GM Nico Harrison after the game.
“From going to the Finals last year, to Cancun this year. A Nico masterclass,” a fan ripped Harrison as the Mavericks went from making the Finals to missing the playoffs.
“Nico Harrison, watching his ‘defense wins championships’ give up 49 points in 16 minutes,” a fan mocked Harrison as the Grizzlies tore apart the Mavericks’ defense at the start of this game.
“Nico Harrison said ‘defense wins championships’ after trading Luka… Apparently defense doesn’t even make the playoffs,” Harrison was roasted for his now-famous quote.
“That Nico Harrison has been fired tweet is going to hit like crack on Easter Sunday,” a fan is waiting to hear that Harrison has been fired.
“Luka is in the playoffs with the Lakers, while the Mavs will now be watching the playoffs from the couch. Thanks, Nico, for creating this mess,” a fan destroyed Harrison as Doncic is in the playoffs while the Mavericks are not.
Harrison is never living this down. In his private press conference on Tuesday, he doubled down on the decision to trade Doncic, but it’s just becoming harder and harder to defend it.
Harrison kept going on and on about how defense wins championships, and the Grizzlies just tore them apart at the start of this game. They went 14-25 (56.0%) from the field in the first quarter and scored 39 points in the period.
The Grizzlies never looked back from then and led by as many as 25 points on the night. Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Desmond Bane all scored over 20 against the Mavericks and combined for 68 in total. The Grizzlies will need these three to be on fire if they are to pull off a stunning upset when they take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the playoffs.
For the Mavericks, meanwhile, Anthony Davis‘ play was really the only positive on the night. The 32-year-old had 40 points (16-29 FG), nine rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block against the Grizzlies.
Unfortunately, Davis injured himself in this game, but he battled through the pain. He hobbled to the bench at one point in the fourth quarter, though, and Harrison’s reaction to that went viral.
ESPN zooming in on Nico Harrison after AD airballs and gets injured 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/mGphiYDSqt
— BricksCenter (@BricksCenter) April 19, 2025
Harrison reportedly had concerns about Doncic’s health long-term, and he traded him for someone who has a lengthy injury history. You applaud Davis for wanting to be out there for his team and balling out, but is anyone shocked that his body has broken down again? Not really.
This trade by Harrison is likely going to go down as one of the worst in NBA history, and he has set the Mavericks back years with it. It’s hard to see a scenario where they win a title anytime soon.
As for Doncic, well, he and the Los Angeles Lakers do have a shot at winning it all this season. The Lakers finished third in the West with a 50-32 record, and if they do go on and win the title, Harrison is going to come under even more fire.
