Transcription
Who was the person that insisted Luka Dončić needed to go? Stephen A. It was Nico Harrison. It was Nico Harrison's decision. It was Nico Harrison's pitch. It was Nico Harrison's idea to trade Luka Dončić. But of course, any move that gets made, Stephen A, you know, if the general manager at any level is making a trade, it is with the blessing and the sign off of ownership as well.
Imagine being Nico Harrison on February 1st, 2025. You're posted up in your office, fully aware that you just moved a 25-year-old generational superstar who dragged your squad all the way to the NBA Finals. And in return, you brought back a 31-year-old big man with a long list of injury setbacks and a whole lot of uncertainty. Nine months later, you're out the door. The Dallas Mavericks didn't just make a questionable trade. They turned their entire franchise into a full-blown warning story.
Fans were losing it in real time. [music] There were intense messages flying around online, digital protests outside the arena. People literally staging a fake funeral for the team and "Fire Nico" chants echoing through every home game for nine straight months. [music]
>> AD probably was the worst NBA trade ever in NBA history.
>> Their assessment. God bless Nico Harrison.
>> I mean, I just Kyrie's out. I'm just saying looking at this squad right now.
>> Does making the playoffs do anything for them? Does it help repair their image with the fans? I don't think so.
>> But he takes the pressure off of Kyrie and AG.
>> Both of them.
>> Nah, not Kyrie. Kyrie don't have to come back with no pressure at all.
>> They going to go east and whoop through the East and then be back for 50%.
>> Bro, listen. That trade that they did for AD is like the worst trade in NBA here.
>> Yeah. It's like it's like 18. You got You got Cooper Flagg.
>> What about it?
>> You got Cooper. No, that's like
>> But Paul Paul George of the Clippers.
>> No. Your reward for trading Luka was Cooper Flagg.
>> That's like the Nets giving uh the Nets giving up their future for KG and and Paul Pierce and then Boston go ahead and get, you know, Jaylen Brown and and you see how that [music]
When you open the season 3 and 8 with one of the weakest offenses the league has ever seen after making a move like that, ownership doesn't just get nervous. [music] They start reaching for the exit strategy fast. This one reckless call didn't just shake the franchise, it rattled the whole league.
So, here's what really unfolded on February 1st, 2025. Reports say Nico Harrison called up Lakers GM Rob Pelinka, [music] someone he's been close with for years. They reportedly linked up in private and Harrison directly asked if Pelinka wanted Luka Dončić. Pelinka thought he was playing around at first, but he wasn't joking, not even a little. The deal on the table was Luka Dončić, Maxi Kleber, and Marquese's F. Morris heading to the Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a single 2029 first-round pick. CBS Sports' Brad Botkin even gave the Lakers an A+, while the Mavericks got slapped with an F, writing that you cannot trade Luka Dončić, not unless your hand is forced. ESPN's Tim McMahon reportedly spoke with NBA executives who all said the same thing: You simply do not move a generational star at 25 unless he demands it.
And here's where things take a wild turn. Multiple insiders said Luka never asked out, not once. Mark Stein even confirmed it directly. [music] Luka Dončić did not request a trade. So why would Harrison go through with something this shocking? His entire explanation came down to one simple line: "I believe that defense wins championships." That was his whole reasoning. [music] As if swapping out one of the greatest offensive talents the league has seen for Anthony Davis's defensive skill set was magically [music] going to fix every issue in the building.
The fan reaction: full meltdown mode. Season ticket renewals reportedly dropped to around 75 to 80%. [music] People were canceling everything connected to the team. Subscription numbers tanked and protests popped off right outside the arena. Billboards calling out Harrison started showing up all over Dallas. Even the governor stepped in publicly questioning the trade. At that point, it was crystal clear. Mavericks fans wanted someone held responsible, and they wanted it done fast.
And remember Harrison's whole "defense wins [singing] championships" philosophy? Let me break down how that played out. [music] Anthony Davis reportedly showed up to training camp not in top form, and the injuries started popping up right away.
>> This happened now because the Mavericks [music] are in a tailspin, Stephen A. And when you trade away Luka Dončić, a player in his prime, [music] 25 years old, five straight All-NBA First Teams, and you go and go get Anthony [music] Davis, and you've set a two to three, four-year window for you to win a championship, you [music] say, "Only time will tell if I'm right." You know, the city is coming down on the Mavericks in February and beyond after that for their decision to trade Luka Dončić. You have championship expectations. And even in April after [music] the Mavericks lost Kyrie Irving with a torn ACL, Nico Harrison said, "We'll [music] be back next season and we'll be competing for a champion."
In his first couple of weeks as a Maverick, he left multiple games early and rumor has it he didn't even string together five straight games in a Dallas jersey. By the middle of the season, he had only logged around 14 full games. This is what they traded Luka for. But the nightmare didn't stop. It kept snowballing. Kyrie Irving, the other main star on the roster, tore his ACL shortly after the trade and hasn't stepped back on the court once [music] this season. And Klay Thompson, the future Hall of Famer they signed for 3 years and $50 million, has reportedly been struggling so much [music] that the team ended up benching him. Insiders are already saying the Mavericks are trying to move him again. Then there's Cooper Flagg, the elite prospect they landed with only 1.8% lottery odds. Jason Kidd allegedly played him at point guard for several games completely out of position. And yeah, the results showed.
The Mavericks opened the season 3 and 8, sitting at the bottom of the West. And their offense was so rough it actually set a record. They posted the lowest offensive rating in NBA history at 106.5 points per game, while the league average was sitting at 116.7. [music] Meanwhile, Luka is out in LA putting on a show every night, dropping 37 a game with nine rebounds and nine assists. And he's locking in on defense at the elite level Harrison claimed he couldn't reach. [music] The Lakers are cruising at eight and three, while Luka is tossing no-look passes and throwing down putback [music] dunks like it's nothing every single night. That gap between the two teams keeps getting wider and wider.
Now, let's break down Nico Harrison's road to this moment. Before he ever stepped into the Mavericks' front office, he spent 19 years at Nike with zero NBA front office experience. But he had serious connections. He knew everyone from Kobe to Michael Jordan. And at first, those relationships actually helped him win early. He moved Kristaps Porziņģis in 2022 and Dallas ended up making the Western Conference Finals. He took a gamble on Kyrie Irving when people said it would fall apart and the team still reached the 2024 NBA Finals. He even added solid role players at the deadline [music] to keep Dallas competitive. After that finals run, the Mavericks rewarded him with an extension. And for a moment, it looked [music] like nothing could touch him.
He is here today averaging 40, 11, and 9. 40, 11, and 9. Looks slimmer. Looks in shape. Lakers a number two seed in the West although it's very, very early. What is it like for you, Mark Cuban [music] right now seeing Luka do this in a different uniform?
>> I mean, I'm happy for Luka 'cause he's a [music] great guy. I mean, he he's just a really special human being. Um, his family's great. His dad, you know, it's [music] just it's painful, you know, as a Mavs fan and as somebody who, [music] you know, potentially if I would have done a better job of just defining my role in advance, um, might not have happened, you know, and so it it it hurts me. I know it kills Mavs fans everywhere, but I'm happy for [music]
But there was one major issue. Harrison operated more like a firefighter than a long-term planner. Every move felt like putting out flames instead of laying out a blueprint. He let Jalen Brunson walk to New York and now Brunson is a two-time All-Star. He reportedly signed D'Angelo Russell even though Russell was coming off a tough shooting season and [music] has been viewed as one of the weakest defenders at his position. Which makes it even wilder because didn't Harrison say defense wins championships? Then he reportedly handed P.J. Washington a $90 million contract even though Washington was shooting around 28% from three and carrying a negative plus-minus.
But the Luka trade, [music] that was the moment everything snapped. After pulling the trigger, insiders say Harrison held a press conference that was invite-only with no cameras allowed. When people asked why he shouldn't be replaced, he hit them with, "I think I've done a really good job here and I don't think I can be judged [music] by the injuries this year." You'll see next year when our team comes back, we're going to be competing for a championship. Meanwhile, the team was sitting at 3 and 8 with an offense so rough it was literally breaking records. No other front office ever wanted to try something this drastic.
>> Why shouldn't you be fired? [music]
>> Um, well, one, I think I've done a really good job here. Uh, and I and I don't think I can be judged by the injuries this year.
>> [music]
>> Um, you have to judge the from totality from beginning um to end. And so [music] um I I think I have a really good working relationship with Patrick. I think you add in [music] Rick um the leadership that we have is is really elite and you'll see next year when our team comes back, we're going to be competing for a championship.
Harrison reportedly told the media, "We really feel like we got ahead of what was going to be a tumultuous summer." Later, he admitted, "I miscalculated the depth of love our fans had for Luka." No shock there.
Then came Monday night, November 11th, 2025. The Mavericks took another loss to Milwaukee and dropped to 3 and 8 again. The "Fire Nico" chants, which had been ringing out for nine straight [music] months, were louder than ever. But this time, something new happened. Mavericks Governor Patrick Dumont was sitting courtside and right next to him was a fan wearing a Lakers Luka jersey. Dumont, [music] the same guy who said "In Nico we trust" back in February, apparently reached his limit. Character reports say he actually took responsibility for everything. Fans claim he told the Luka jersey fan that he felt bad about the trade, that it wasn't the right move for the franchise, [music] and that he messed up. Hearing that straight from the top is wild.
Less than 24 hours later, the news dropped. Nico Harrison was officially fired. ESPN's [music] Brian Windhorst said this move was unavoidable with all the chaos surrounding the franchise. The announcement hit at 10:00 a.m. Central on Tuesday, [music] and assistant GMs Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi were named co-interim GMs. But Mavericks fans aren't celebrating. [music] They're tired, disappointed, and honestly just hurt. The situation is so messy that some fans are even wondering if Mark Cuban could somehow buy the team back and clean everything up again.
So, what's next for Dallas? They still have Cooper Flagg, an 18-year-old who dominated at Duke and entered the league as a top-tier [music] prospect. Cooper Flagg arrived as an All-American National Player of the Year and the second youngest number [music] one pick ever behind LeBron. And in his first stretch of games, he's putting up legit numbers. He reportedly just dropped [music] 26 on the Bucks and went at Giannis in crunch time like he belonged on that stage. The kid has serious [music] potential, but the roster around him looks like a puzzle with half the pieces missing. You've got a 35-year-old Klay Thompson who's clearly slowing down. A 31-year-old Anthony Davis who can't stay healthy long enough to build any kind of chemistry. Kyrie Irving who won't suit up until January. D'Angelo Russell who reportedly struggles on defense. And then Flagg, an 18-year-old carrying the weight of the entire franchise on his shoulders.
>> Mavericks were in position to sign Luka to a 5-year, $350 million contract this summer. If you have a 25-year-old [music] who you can get under contract for five years at 350 million who's been All-NBA five-time First Team All-NBA five times, that's that's typically in the history of the NBA a no-brainer situation. There's not a stress.
>> Ben Roethlisberger wrote that the Mavericks moved on from Harrison because they didn't want him shaping the future anymore and their [music] future is Flagg. That's the entire blueprint people keep talking about. Some insiders are even suggesting Dallas should move Anthony Davis while he still has any trade value left. Let go of Klay, keep Kyrie as the veteran voice and rebuild everything around Flagg and the young core. But here's the real question: Can they actually make that happen? Can a front office that allegedly pulled off one of the roughest trades [music] in league history suddenly flip the script and start making smart moves again? One Western Conference executive reportedly told ESPN, "There's a Luka-sized hole on that roster." And that hole isn't disappearing anytime soon.
Let's be clear about what went down. Dallas traded a 25-year-old generational star for a 31-year-old big with [music] longstanding injury concerns. Someone who's logged around 14 full games. [music] And all they got back on top of that was one future first-round pick. Reports say the Lakers could have offered Austin Reaves multiple [music] picks and swap rights, but they didn't have to. Rob Pelinka apparently convinced Harrison that Luka's conditioning was an issue and somehow that was enough to tip the entire trade in the Lakers' favor.