After making one of quite possibly the worst traded in NBA history, the Dallas Mavericks have officially let go of Nico Harrison. The decision to trade Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis seemed like a horrible move when it happened, and it has only gotten worse with time. Naturally, given the sorry state of affairs, certain sections of the fanbase have been feeling sorry for the players and even the head coach, Jason Kidd. However, Ashley Nicole Moss revealed Kidd shouldn’t be exempt from criticism.
Advertisement
Of course, there’s no denying Harrison was the one responsible for spearheading Doncic trade conversations. He was the one who approached the Lakers with the initial trade package. Despite his former position as general manager, Harrison doesn’t have the authority to make that decision on his own.
Patrick Dumont and the rest of the Mavericks’ ownership gave their consent to complete the deal. In the press conferences following the move, Kidd’s body language seemed incredibly irritated. As a result, many believed the move blindsided him, as it did with the rest of the population. Moss contends that wasn’t the case.
“Don’t feel too bad for Jason Kidd because he knew Luka was getting traded,” Moss said on CBS Sports HQ. “Let’s be honest. That move does not happen unless Jason Kidd knows it’s happening. He is a major part of this Mavericks organization.”
Ever since Kidd assumed the position of head coach, he has earned a favorable rapport within the organization. So, it isn’t hard to believe that he would also give an okay on the deal. Assuming that’s the case, there’s only one group of people Moss feels bad for, and it’s the players.
“It’s kind of hard to have sympathy for all parties involved except for the players on the court. Because this was a decision that everyone made behind closed doors,” Moss proclaimed.
The move probably took longer than it should’ve, but the franchise understands that they’ve made a mistake and are looking to fix the state of the team. That said, the damages made to the team will take some time to be dealt with.
But, at the very least some things should get better in the short term. One of those issues was the atmosphere surrounding home games, which the Mavericks players reportedly weren’t a fan of.
“Several Mavs players this season have preferred to play on the road rather than play home games due to the charged atmosphere as it relates to Nico Harrison. They weren’t passing judgment on fans, but more so having a human reaction to the atmosphere,” Ian Begley said.
This news is still fresh, so neither Kidd nor the owners has made any public remarks. Even when they do, it is expected that their focus will remain on closing the book on this horrible chapter and moving forward. That is the only thing the Mavericks can do to try to return to the state they were before the Doncic trade.
