Mavs' Nico Harrison pulls cowardly move, breaks silence on Luka Doncic-Lakers trade

This has been a season from hell for the Dallas Mavericks. After coming off a run to the NBA Finals and a promising start to the season despite injuries, Nico Harrison shockingly traded Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis without warning in the middle of the night to the Los Angeles Lakers.

That move predictably sent the season in a tailspin, as Davis immediately got hurt, followed by Kyrie Irving's ACL injury soon after. Instead of fighting for a championship, the Mavericks enter the postseason as the 10th seed and are likely to lose in the Play-In Tournament. And the atmosphere has been hot in Dallas. "Fire Nico" chants rained down on Luka Doncic's return to the American Airlines Center last week as he cowered away from his decision, only watching games from the tunnel surrounded by security and not speaking to media in Dallas since the trade was made. However, that changed on Tuesday... sort of.

Feb 10, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison walks on to the court before the game between the Dallas and the Sacramento Kings at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Nico Harrison and Mavericks CEO Rick Welts met with select members of the Dallas media on Tuesday morning, but they didn't allow cameras or any recording equipment, an incredibly cowardly move. Harrison only met with the media in Cleveland on the day after the Luka Doncic trade and was nowhere to be found after the (somehow almost equally disastrous) Quentin Grimes-Caleb Martin trade. He has yet to address that trade to the media in any fashion, and the first time he speaks to the media is with no recordings or camera.

From what can be gathered, Harrison repeatedly said in the roundtable, "Defense wins championships," and that "There's no regrets" about sending Luka Doncic to the Lakers. "Part of it is doing the best thing for the Mavs."

Meanwhile, the Mavericks are 24th in defensive rating since the Doncic trade, while the Lakers are 14th, and rank dead last in points in the paint allowed. Are injuries to blame for most of that? Sure. But building a team to perfectly surround Luka Doncic and taking the biggest cog out of that machine is going to wreck a lot of plans.

Doncic then returned to the American Airlines Center, fighting through tears, and torched his former team for 45 points to the tune of "Fire Nico" chants. Harrison's family has been feeling the weight of the trade and is probably miserable, so surely Harrison has some regrets.

If Harrison really didn't have any regrets about the trade, this meeting wouldn't have been a thing. He would've sat at a press conference in Dallas after the trade and talked about his decision as every other general manager in every sport does. He also would be sitting in his normal seat at every game instead of cowering in the tunnel surrounded by security.

Mind you, the Mavericks are playing in the NBA's Play-In Tournament on Wednesday night. Their season could be over in a little more than 24 hours at the hands of the Sacramento Kings, and the team's GM and CEO decide to pull this horrible PR move and fuel the fire even more. P.J. Washington has spoken about how distracting all of it has been for the team. This is embarrassing from an organizational standpoint on multiple fronts, and it's malpractice that Nico Harrison still holds a job.

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