Mavs GM finally addresses trade fans say could be worse than Luka deal

By this point, everyone is more than familiar with the trade that NBA fans will be talking about for the years and potentially decades to come. The Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers flipped the league on its head at the beginning of February with a deal that swapped Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis.

The move has brought plenty of criticism towards the Mavericks and that's put a lot of heat on general manager Nico Harrison and team governor Patrick Dumont. However, Dallas made another trade around the deadline that has flown a little bit under the radar despite arguably being worse than the Luka deal.

In the aftermath of moving on from Doncic, Dallas traded guard Quentin Grime and a 2025 secound-round pick to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for forward Caleb Martin.

Apr 13, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Caleb Martin (16) drives to the basket as Memphis Grizzlies guard John Konchar (46) defends during the second quarter at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The 76ers ultimately amended the deal to send a 2030 second-round pick to Dallas following Martin's physical, who was dealing with a hip strain at the time.

Over two months following the trade, Harrison finally addressed the move during an interview with select media members on Tuesday.

Harrison believes the trade worked out for both teams, noting that Grimes will be a free agent this summer. On the flip side, Martin is under contract through the 2027-28 campaign.

"Well, it was really about getting Caleb Martin. It was less about Grimes. We, obviously, we traded for Grimes, and we got a good look at Grimes," Harrison said according to WFAA. "Great player. I think it worked out for both teams. It worked out for him. He's a free agent situation, so he got to go to a team where he could shoot all the balls and really display his offense and for us, we weren't interested in that. We were interested in how he could help us win games."

Quentim Grimes — Apr 13, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Quentin Grimes (5) controls the ball against the Chicago Bulls in the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

"We had the opportunity to get Caleb, which the opportunity only afford itself because Anthony Davis, he gave us that ability, because he had a trade clause, a trade kicker, and he opted out of that. And so that gave us the room to be able to do that," Harrison added.

Harrison was pushed by media in attendance as to why he traded an upcoming second-round pick to acquire Martin. He responded by saying that the Mavericks simply valued Martin more and also got a pick in return.

"Well, if you don't like Caleb, then you're not going to like the trade," Harrison said. "But we valued Caleb more so, and we also got a second-round pick back."

That's technically true but the Mavericks weren't slated to receive that second-round pick in the original deal. Instead, it took an amendment due to Martin's injury and the new acquisition hasn't impressed since returning to the court in Dallas.

Plus, the franchise tossed away the chance to add another cost-effective contract to the roster in lieu of pushing that back five more years. The Mavericks do hold their own first-round pick and a second-round selection from the Utah Jazz but they're also well over the projected cap for 2025-26.

Grimes has exploded since the trade on a 76ers squad that is riddled with injuries. In 28 games with Philadelphia, he averaged 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.5 steals over 33.7 minutes per game.

Martin, on the hand, has struggled to acclimate with the Mavericks. He didn't debut until March 7 and has seen action in 14 games. He's averaging 5.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists over 19.6 minutes per game. Martin has shot 38.9% from the field, 25% from three-point range, and 62.5% from the line.

Dallas takes the court for possibly its final game of the year on Wednesday night against the Sacramento Kings.

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