Dallas Mavericks General Manager Nico Harrison has come under fire for trading away Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers and things are going from bad to worse for him. A clip recently surfaced on social media of Harrison’s interview with RTV Slovenija two weeks ago and he wasn’t being too honest when talking about Doncic.
Interviewer: “How much is Luka Doncic worth? I’m not talking necessarily in money… No, we’re not talking in money, we’re not talking in numbers, maybe we are talking in human value. But what would your answer be? How much is Luka Doncic worth?
Nico Harrison: “I don’t know that you can put a price tag, honestly. The value that he brings to the franchise, to the NBA, to this organization, it’s immeasurable.”
Interviewer: “Would you say that Luka changed the club for the better?”
Harrison: “Absolutely. I mean you look at what he’s done to this team. He’s such a dynamic player, he makes everybody around him better. His marketability, people from all over the world come to watch him play because of what he means to the NBA and to basketball.”
Interviewer: “Do you think you have a really really hard job because you have to make Luka Doncic the NBA champion or is that an honor for you in your career that you will be able to help Luka to become a champion?”
Harrison: “Yeah, I think it’s both. It’s a tough job but it’s a honor because I feel like we’re going to be champions and it will be because of Luka. So, I’ll be honored to deliver that championship.”
Interviewer: “Just my last question. It’s kinda informal question but do you maybe get some calls (from players) about, ‘I want to play with Luka. Can you get me a job in Dallas?'”
Harrison: “All the time. All the NBA players they’re like, ‘Yo, bring me, I want to come.'”
https://twitter.com/10dule10/status/1886094528043467035
Harrison sure has changed his tune regarding Doncic, who is averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists, 2.0 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game in 2024-25. In two weeks, he has gone from stating that the five-time All-Star’s value is immeasurable to shipping him out of town for an underwhelming haul.
The timing of this interview is important to note. Harrison himself stated that he and Lakers GM Rob Pelinka had secret conversations about this Doncic trade for 3-4 weeks. So, he made these comments on Slovenian television knowing that he could well be trading away the 25-year-old soon. That’s just shocking.
What’s also shocking is that it wasn’t the Lakers who initiated this trade, but the Mavericks. It’s been reported that Pelinka thought Harrison was joking when he offered Doncic to the Lakers. Anyone in his position would have thought so too.
You don’t trade a player of Doncic’s caliber unless he wants out and that wasn’t the case here. The guard was fully committed to the team and Harrison confirmed that he gave no indication about wanting to leave. The 52-year-old still chose to trade Doncic and to make matters worse, only discussed a deal with the Lakers and got a haul that’s nowhere near enough for a transcendent player.
The Mavericks have got Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and an unprotected 2029 first-round pick from the Lakers for Doncic. Davis is a great player and Christie has impressed this season, but you should be getting so much more for a generational talent.
Harrison stated that he traded Doncic for Davis because “defense wins championships.” He reckons Davis gives them a better chance at winning and time will tell if he was right.
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