Anonymous NBA player disputes recent take from Mavericks GM Nico Harrison

The general manager continues to be proven wrong.

Apr 9, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison looks on during the third quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Dallas Mavericks General Manager Nico Harrison has to be operating on pins and needles right now. He thought he was making a smart move by trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for a small return package centered around Anthony Davis. It backfired quickly.

That trade has been the center of discussion for over two months now, as no one can believe Harrison would make a move as dumb as this one. He only makes it worse when he talks more about the trade.

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Apr 22, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) warms up before a game two of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

One of Harrison's quotes that picked up a lot of attention from his end-of-season press conference was talking about why he doesn't think this trade will impact his ability to attract free agents to Dallas.

“When I first got this job," Harrison started, "I was told that the Dallas Mavericks struggled to get free agents, and one of the things I said is that, ‘We’re going to get free agents.’ It’s not just about me — we have hall-of-famer Jason Kidd. We have a bunch of amazing players. You know, Kyrie Irving — people want to play with him. So I think we have a lot that’s in our favor, so I don’t worry about getting free agents. That’s the least of my concerns.”

Well, he's wrong. Shocking.

The Athletic recently published an article including more than 150 anonymous quotes from NBA players talking about the already infamous trade, and one quote stuck out as a direct challenge to Harrison thinking it won't impact what players think about how Dallas operated.

“I think that s— was idiotic, but I don’t think it was a bad trade. I just think that the way they did it and everything about it was idiotic. I think them shopping the franchise (face) of their organization — for a lot of players who already feel that this is a business (like), ‘The motherf—ers don’t care about you,’ I think it sets an example, like, ‘All right, why should I give a f— about this team if this is how they’re going (to treat me)? I came in here and I was All-NBA, like, five times in six seasons, an MVP candidate, and don’t even get told about none of this.’ I’m like, ‘This organization doesn’t give a f— about me. Why would I give a f— about any organization?’”

If Nico Harrison really believes how he operated this trade won't impact how players view the franchise, just add it to the list of reasons he needs to be dismissed from his post. Granted, the Mavericks don't have a lot of operating space for free agents this offseason, but they may have to overpay guys to convince them Dallas is the place to be.

READ MORE: Mavericks' Jason Kidd joins ownership for Premier League staple club

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