More news continues to come out of the Mavericks organization regarding the infamous Luka Doncic trade. Fans remain in an uproar over the team trading away their franchise cornerstone, and reports suggest frustration is brewing between new Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont and Nico Harrison as well.
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The entire debacle involving the Mavs should be a sign to people everywhere that ownership should ideally be in the hands of those with a strong understanding of basketball. But unfortunately, money talks, and in this case, uninformed owners brought about overwhelming upset. Instead of expanding on their 2023-2024 NBA Finals run, Dallas pulled the plug on the team’s very heartbeat.
Rumors swirled earlier in the season that the Mavericks weren’t willing to offer Doncic a supermax deal, and that’s what gave Harrison the green light to trade Luka to the Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis. Many fans have reportedly boycotted the team to vocalize their distaste.
The fan outrage caught Dumont by surprise. Mavericks reporter Tim Cato revealed the extent of Dumont’s exasperation.
“Dumont has had frustration with Harrison not warning him—or, perhaps even more damningly, being unaware—of the fandom’s outrage following the trade,” Cato said. “Those same sources say it had some influence over Dumont’s decision to make Harrison appear for last week’s closed media event, which Harrison did not want to.”
This trade single-handedly ruined Harrison’s reputation among the fans. He was once praised for the acquisitions of Kyrie Irving, PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford, which led to the Finals run. Now, not only do the fans no longer trust him, but Dumont is also losing confidence in him.
The past few months haven’t been the best for Harrison. Aside from Dumont’s alleged feelings toward him, he is receiving further backlash for a set of recent comments.
Harrison doesn’t regret pulling the trigger on the Doncic deal
Sports fans aren’t ignorant like they may have been in the past. Technology and social media have allowed them to be more involved than ever before. As a result, they don’t tolerate it when members of their favorite team appear to underestimate their knowledge. And Harrison’s recent comments seem to lean in that direction.
“Yeah, there’s no regrets on the trade,” Harrison said. “Part of my job is to do the best thing for the Mavericks, not only today, but also in the future.”
ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith wasn’t a fan of Harrison’s comments in the slightest. He passionately voiced his opinion, ripping Harrison for doubling down on the Luka trade.
“You shut up and you go home,” Smith said. “That’s what [Nico Harrison] should do.”
It seems like any time Harrison opens his mouth, the floodgates of the media and angry NBA fans open shortly after. Regardless of what good he may accomplish, he will always be known as the man who traded Luka Doncic.
