Mavericks GM Nico Harrison Insists He Has 'No Regrets' About Luka Doncic Trade

Harrison met with reporters today to reiterate his confidence in the Doncic trade.

Harrison is the face of the franchise's decision to trade Doncic / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Luka Doncic trade is still very fresh but early returns suggest it may go down as one of the most lopsided in NBA history. Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison, the man who made the call to shockingly trade the generational talent in the dead of night in January, still doesn't regret his decision.

Meeting with reporters for a roundtable discussion after the Mavs wrapped up the most tumultuous season in franchise history, Harrison once again insisted he had no regrets about trading Doncic and repeated the same mantra he gave to the public when asked to justify the decision: defense wins championships.

"There's no regrets on the trade," Harrison said, per CBS News' Briauna Brown. "Part of it is doing the best thing for the Mavs."

This stance is not likely to douse the burning anger of the Dallas fanbase, either, who were collectively infuriated and devastated by the sudden jettisoning of their 25-year-old superstar.

While nobody was expecting Harrison to admit it was a massive mistake, it is a bit surprising to hear he has absolutely zero regrets given how things turned out for Dallas. Both Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis, acquired in exchange for Doncic, got hurt soon after the transaction and the Mavs tumbled down the standings. Irving's torn ACL will likely keep him out until 2026; Davis returned to play but wasn't able to elevate the Mavs out of the play-in tournament. For a team coming off an NBA Finals run it's a disastrous season.

Nevertheless, Harrison has no regrets. Surely Harry Frazee didn't have any, either.

---

More NBA on Sports Illustrated

feed