NBA Finally Admitting What Mavericks Fans Have Always Said About Luka Doncic Trade

It has been more than a year since the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. From the second the trade was made, anyone with a pulse recognized it was immediately the worst trade in NBA and professional sports history.

Trading Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and one future first-round pick was a horrific return on investment for a 25-year-old who had made five straight All-NBA First Teams in his first six seasons. Not scouring the market to get the best return possible only made it even worse. The Mavericks could've completely restocked their cupboard with draft capital. Instead, their future to build around Cooper Flagg is still a little barren.

People around the NBA are starting to see just how horrific a trade it was. Mavericks fans always knew, but in Luka Doncic's last nine games, he is averaging 40 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 7.4 APG, and 2.4 SPG. Averaging. That includes scoring 60 points against the Miami Heat, 51 points against the Chicago Bulls, and two different 30-point triple-doubles. The Lakers are also 9-0 in that stretch, prompting a late MVP surge for Doncic.

That made Bill Simmons say what we've always known, but also offered something else for Nico Harrison.

"Nico Harrison. He did it. There's never been a worse sports trade," Simmons admitted on his podcast. "We thought last year was possible, we were hoping, but there was still a chance. Like, maybe Davis will be really good on Dallas. What happens when AD gets healthy? And then they give AD away. And then it was, 'Yeah, but you know, you watch Luka on L.A., you can kind of see what Nico was thinking. Now, on March 22nd, 2026, it's the worst trade anyone's ever made.

"He should come to a game. Like I would zag the other way, come to a Laker game, bathe in the applause, bathe in the adoration, accept the thank yous from the Laker fans. Instead of being booed and humiliated in Dallas, zag the other way. You made this other fanbase really happy. Go accept their congratulations."

Nico Harrison has made the worst sports trade ever and @BillSimmons believes he should fully embrace it. pic.twitter.com/lBclHlkCsi
— The Ringer (@ringer) March 23, 2026

Trading Luka Doncic Was Always the Worst Trade Ever

There was never going to be a timeline where Nico Harrison came out of this correct. It was an awful thought process and an even worse trade, and no NBA team will ever consider hiring him because of it. He thought it could bury him in 3-4 years, and it buried him in 8 months.

Some people thought Mavericks fans were overreacting at the trade. If anything, they underreacted. Getting to draft Cooper Flagg probably doesn't make up for losing Luka Doncic.

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