Legendary Warriors GM Claims Trading Luka Dončić Wasn’t Nico Harrison’s True Mistake

Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison has been under fire for the past two months since making the ill-received decision to trade away Luka Dončić. Just one year after an unexpected NBA Finals berth, the Mavs are fighting for their playoff lives with a much more underwhelming core than even one year ago.

After Harrison took over as GM in 2021, the 52-year-old’s decision-making has been a mixed bag. He allowed Jalen Brunson, who is now captaining a contending Knicks team, to walk for nothing in free agency. During last year’s deadline, however, he bolstered the team’s frontcourt with the additions of PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford last season, leading to a Finals run. toro

Only a year later, Harrison has burnt through any and all goodwill after unceremoniously shipping away the franchise’s centerpiece. Scott Van Pelt had former Warriors GM Bob Myers on SportsCenter to discuss the unprecedented move.

Van Pelt asked Myers how much of a runway Harrison should get before the trade is deemed a complete disaster. The Mavericks were able to cling to their postseason hopes with a convincing win over Sacramento on Wednesday, but it’s hard to see this Dallas team truly competing with any playoff squad in the West.

“So when you traded Luka Dončić, what Nico did was he traded for a great player. Anthony Davis is a great player, and Max Christie’s a good player… I think where you get stuck and where people have been critical is not the fact that you traded Luka Dončić,” Myers explained. “But when you look at the return, that’s where people really get upset.”

Myers stressed that Harrison’s true mistake wasn’t trading Dončić. It’s fine for a GM to have their convictions. But, trading him without acquiring plenty of draft capital to build for the future is condemnable. “A lot of the Mavs fans have a hard time because if I’m going to trade a player that good and in his prime… I’m going to give myself an avenue to win now… What they didn’t do was give themself an avenue via first-round picks for the future.”

Myers believes we’ll have to wait and see what the pairing of Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving can truly do together before making a verdict on the trade. The franchise could be without their first-round pick in 2027, 2028, and/or 2029, and Kyrie Irving tore his ACL and is a free agent this summer. If the Mavs’ current core doesn’t work out, the team’s situation won’t be getting any easier.

Even if Dallas had been able to acquire a better haul for their 25-year-old superstar, it’s still unlikely that fans would’ve been okay with the deal. But, extra first-round picks or another young player with All-Star potential would have made the deal a little sweeter, at least.

Bob Myers knows the highs and lows of being an NBA GM better than almost anyone, so it’s not too surprising to see him cut Harrison some slack. But, it will take a return to the Finals in the next couple of years – if not a championship outright – to convince the Mavs faithful that this was the right decision.