NBA Personality Calls Out Warriors' Draymond Green for Take Over Former Mavericks GM

Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green kicked up some dust this week when he called out the media for criticizing Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic for the same reasons former Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison traded him away.

People weren't making fun of Nico Harrison for the reasons he stated, even if they were a little far-fetched to trade away a generational player. It was mostly about the process and for whom Doncic was traded, as the Mavs had to dump Anthony Davis' salary to the Washington Wizards just a year later.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith is often loud and wrong about a lot of things, but he was on point when he went after Draymond Green's take about Nico Harrison on First Take.

︀︀“He’s very wrong. I think Draymond is being incredibly unfair," Smith started. "...The reality of the situation is Draymond is saying that because he’s fond of Nico Harrison… You got Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a pick to show for Luka Doncic? That was the crime!… We talk about this one deal. Which was egregious and forever stained him. So much so, it is highly unlikely he will ever get a job as a basketball executive in the NBA again."

Stephen A Smith full response to Draymond saying the media needs to apologize to Nico Harrison for trading Luka 👀

“He’s very wrong. I think Draymond is being incredibly unfair…. The reality of the situation is Draymond is saying that because he’s fond of Nico Harrison…. You… https://t.co/xuEfRbBWoN pic.twitter.com/1r9cJaI3pa
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) March 2, 2026

Nico Harrison Can't Be Defended

There is no way to defend Nico Harrison's decision to trade away Luka Doncic. Some people can understand how the Mavericks reached the point where they were fed up enough with Doncic to want to trade him away. But to not maximize the value of Doncic and open the bidding to other teams could've sank the franchize.

Only getting an older and often-injured Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick in return was a horrific return on investment, even in the moment. Players like Desmond Bane, Rudy Gobert, and Mikal Bridges have gone for four or five first-round picks. When the Mavericks turned around and traded Davis this February, they got what'll likely be the 29th or 30th pick in this year's draft, a top-20 protected pick in 2030 (which will likely convert to a second-round pick), and three second-rounders.

There was no world where Nico Harrison was going to come out of this trade on top. He thought he was saved by magically moving up to the first pick to draft Cooper Flagg, even dropping his "fans are starting to see the vision" quote. Not even that was going to save him.

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