Dallas Basketball

Mavericks GM Nico Harrison forced out a lot of people around Luka Doncic

There's a long list of players, coaches, or personnel who were close to Doncic that are no longer with the franchise since Harrison's arrival in 2021.

Dustin Lewis

Dec 25, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) celebrates during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Minnesota Timberwolves at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Dec 25, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) celebrates during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Minnesota Timberwolves at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
In this story:

It's Monday afternoon, the beginning of a new week, and all NBA fans can think about is the blockbuster trade that sent Luka Doncic to Los Angeles and Anthony Davis to Dallas less than 48 hours ago. The deal will have ramifications across the league with the trade deadline and all-star break on the horizon.

Mavericks GM Nico Harrison did nothing to ease the calamity of the fanbase while speaking about the shocking move yesterday. Instead, he confirmed that Dallas didn't have any discussions with any team other than the Lakers and revealed that even head coach Jason Kidd wasn't privy to the details of the trade.

Nico Harrison
Sep 30, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison poses for a photo during the 2024 Dallas Mavericks media day. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Harrison also added that he believed the franchise got in front of a possible "tumultuous" summer with regards to Doncic's supermax extension and certainty he'd be one of the most coveted free agents in NBA history. At the same time, Doncic never gave the Mavericks any indication that he wanted to leave, going as far as saying "I thought I'd spend my career here" in a statement he released in the aftermath of the trade.

READ MORE: Anthony Davis' jersey number revealed after being traded to Dallas Mavericks

This feels like a major misstep by Dallas considering that Doncic is just 25 years old and beginning to enter his prime, despite his struggles with injuries at times. Looking at the breadcrumbs leading up to Doncic being sent elsewhere, was there a bigger reason Harrison decided to get this done in the middle of the season?

According to Digginbasketball's Iztok Franko, a source called Harrison 'a power-hungry man' while another noted that the GM moved on from people who had different views. There's a long list of players, coaches, or personnel who were close to Doncic that are no longer with the franchise since Harrison's arrival in 2021.

A key departure was Igog Kokoškov, who served as an assistant coach on during Kidd's first year with the Mavericks. Kokoškov coached Doncic to a EuroBasketball title prior to his NBA playing career and was his pregame workout partner. He moved on to the Brooklyn Nets and is currently with the Atlanta Hawks under head coach Quinn Snyder.

Luka and Jalen Brunson
Dec 27, 2022; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) speaks with New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) after the game at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Scott Tomlin, Dallas's VP of basketball communications and a figure who was with the franchise for over 20 years, left to work for Dirk Nowitzki's foundation while longtime athletic trainer Casey Smith departed for the Vice President of Sports Medicine position with the New York Knicks. Tomlin and Smith accepted their new positions over the summer. Doncic was close with both of them according to Marc Stein.

Along the roster, Jalen Brunson signed with the Knicks in 2022 after reportedly being lowballed by Dallas. The team traded Boban Marjanović later that same year and recently dealt Dorian Finney-Smith. Brunson, Marjanović, and Finney-Smith were all players that Doncic respected and built relationships with, per Digginbasketball.

Intentional or not, it's clear that Doncic's ties within the organization have slowly been severed since Harrison took over.

Luka and Boban
Dec 29, 2022; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (left) and Houston Rockets center Boban Marjanovic (right) before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Now he's banking on Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, and Klay Thompson, alongside a myriad of other players, to keep the Mavericks' championship hopes afloat.

The Full Breakdown Of The Luka Doncic Trade

Mavericks: Anthony Davis, Max Christie, 2029 Lakers first-round pick

Lakers: Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, Markieff Morris

Jazz: Jalen Hood-Schifino, 2025 Clippers second-round pick, 2025 Mavericks second-round pick

READ MORE: Lakers reportedly convinced Mavs to take lesser trade due to riskiness of Luka Doncic

Stick with MavericksGameday for more FREE coverage of the Dallas Mavericks throughout the 2024-25 Season

Follow MavericksGameday on Twitter and Austin Veazey on Twitter

More Dallas Mavericks News

Published |Modified
Dustin Lewis
DUSTIN LEWIS

Lewis joined BucsGameday when it was founded in 2022. He's also the Editor-In-Chief of NoleGameday. A graduate of Florida State, Lewis has worked for NG since 2016.

Home/News