Lakers' Luka Doncic fires back to 'sad' criticisms by Mavericks GM Nico Harrison

Dallas Mavericks General Manager Nico Harrison has been under consistent fire since trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. His rationale behind the trade has made no sense, and he has still yet to publicly defend the trade in Dallas, instead cowering in the tunnel at home games in the American Airlines Center to the tune of "Fire Nico" chants raining down.

Harrison's latest misstep was a closed media roundtable with 10-15 select local media with no cameras, where he fielded questions about the Luka Doncic trade, where he repeated the line "Defense wins championships" ad nauseam.

Apr 9, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts to missing a shot against the Dallas Mavericks during the third quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Doncic sat down with ESPN's Malika Andrews, who asked him directly about something Nico Harrison said in that roundtable.

Andrews prompted, "The reporter said, 'You [Nico] didn't believe that the team that went to the Finals last year with Luka as the centerpiece could contend and continue to contend for championships.' And Nico Harrison said, 'I'll say this again, defense wins championships.' What do you say to that?"

"It's just sad the way he's talking right now," Doncic answered. "I never say anything bad about him, and I just want to move on. The fans, my ex-teammates, I'll always keep it hard. But it's time for me to move on from that."

"Have you spoken to Nico Harrison since you left Dallas?" Andrews asked. "No," Doncic responded.

"Had you spoken to him on the night you were traded?" Andrews asked. "No," Doncic responded.

"Was your intention to finish your career in Dallas?" Andrews followed up. "Of course," Doncic emphasized. "That's an easy question."

Luka Doncic tells @malika_andrews about throwing his phone and breaking it when he found out he got traded to the Lakers 😳

"My heart was broken honestly." 💔 pic.twitter.com/rfsIGlOaBC
— ESPN (@espn) April 18, 2025

It has been reported consistently that Doncic never wanted to leave Dallas, even saying as much in his introductory press conference with the LA Lakers. He had just closed on a $15 million home in Dallas when he found out he was being traded and said he was heartbroken when he found out.

The city of Dallas may never forgive Nico Harrison for such a heinous act, and they shouldn't.

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