How Luka Doncic's final injury with Mavericks led to Lakers trade

The Dallas Mavericks' season is over after a blowout loss in the Play-In Tournament on Friday night to the Memphis Grizzlies. It was not the season the team or fans had in mind after a trip to the NBA Finals last season, as Nico Harrison's decision to trade away Luka Doncic in February was the beginning of the end, as injuries and morale impacted a potential title contender and they finished 39-43.

And now that the season is over, information about the team's dysfunction, Nico Harrison's power grab, and Luka Doncic's exit are starting to come out.

Dec 23, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts to a foul call during the second quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

ESPN's Tim MacMahon published an informative piece on Monday morning, highlighting many embarrassing things going on within the Mavericks, as Nico Harrison pushed out highly regarded team personnel, surrounded himself with "yes men," and how it led to the craziest and dumbest trade in NBA history. Part of that was how Doncic's final injury with the team, a severe calf strain suffered on Christmas Day against the Minnesota Timberwolves, led to Harrison's decision to trade Doncic.

Harrison pushed out former team trainer Casey Smith, who was one of Dirk Nowitzki's best friends and one of the best athletic trainers in the NBA, for a team of the director of player health and performance Johann Bilsborough and athletic performance director Keith Belton (who isn't even certified for his position in the NBA). Bilsborough and Belton had constant disagreements about player recoveries, including Doncic's recovery from that calf strain on Christmas.

Doncic had his own medical and team staff around him, as many superstars do, and they had many disagreements with Bilsborough's recovery plan. Bilsborough believed Doncic could return 2-3 weeks after the injury, while Doncic's camp, who won out in the end, believed it was closer to a six-week injury. Doncic then spent the next two weeks not putting any pressure at all on that leg, transporting himself around on a scooter.

But that created even more tension with Nico Harrison, who wanted Doncic to travel with the team while recovering, while Doncic and his camp wanted to stay in Dallas where it was easier to get in a gym for two-a-day multi-hour workouts. Harrison believed it would be better for Doncic to scrimmage with the team on a road trip, which Doncic declined to go on and said he could work with the team's G-League affiliate, the Texas Legends.

Once Doncic declined to go on a five-game road trip ahead of his targeted return date, February 8th against the Houston Rockets, Harrison believed Doncic was holding the team hostage and executed the trade.

Doncic's camp's decision to let him fully recover was the smart decision, as he entered the playoffs with the Los Angeles Lakers looking the healthiest he has in over a year. Had he returned in the 2-3 timetable initially offered, there's a good chance Doncic would've re-aggravated the injury, or worse, for the fifth time in less than three years.

This incompetence from the Mavericks cannot go on any longer. It's time for Patrick Dumont to completely clean house with personnel, as the dysfunction clearly impacted the team if there were multiple pieces published about it just a few days after the team's elimination from postseason contention.

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

Mark Cuban fires back at Mavericks' Nico Harrison after Dirk Nowitzki disrespect

Mavericks receive positive Kyrie Irving injury update

NBA analyst takes vicious shot at Mavericks’ Nico Harrison

Full transcript from Mavericks GM Nico Harrison's polarizing secret media conference