“I’m Still Not Rolling With That: ESPN Analysts Believe Nico Harrison Is Fall Guy In Trade Of First International-Born Player To Lead NBA In Jersey Sales
Sitting up on the podium, answering the cycle of never-ending questions about the Luka Dončić trade, Mavs GM Nico Harrison looked like a man who signed a deal with the devil and if he tells an ounce of truth, a flip will switch, and his head will explode.
With recent news that for the first time in NBA history Luka Dončić, a foreign-born player, has the top selling NBA jersey, I still don’t believe that Harrison decided to trade a superstar of Luka’s caliber for injury-prone and aging Anthony Davis without being coaxed into the idea. Unless he just flat out didn’t like Luka and new Mavs ownership gave him the green light to do whatever franchise-debilitating move he thought fit, something still doesn’t add up here.
Mavs GM Nico Harrison Says He Didn’t Know Luka Dončić Was That Important To Fans
When asked if the anger and outrage from fans in response to the Luka Dončić trade was surprising to him, Harrison’s response shocked the world.
“I did know that Luka was important to the fan base. I didn’t quite know it to what level. But really the way we looked… If you’re putting a team on the floor that’s Kyrie (Irving), Klay (Thompson), PJ, Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively, we feel that’s a championship caliber team and we would have been winning at a high level. And that should have quieted some of the outrage.”
"I did know that Luka was important to the fan base. I didn't quite know it to what level."
One reporter flat out asked Harrison, why he thought he shouldn’t be fired after trading the franchise star to the hated LA Lakers to form a dynamic duo with LeBron James, just one season after advancing to the NBA Finals.
“I think I’ve done a really good job here and I don’t think I can be judged by the injuries this year,” said Harrison defending himself. In his defense, Kyrie went down with a season-ending injury and Davis has been banged up since coming over from LA. “You have to judge from the beginning to end. You’ll see next year when our team comes back. We’re going to be competing for a championship”
I myself, had to take a second look at the screen to make sure this wasn’t AI, because Harrison looked like a man reading from a script, struggling to take accountability for something he couldn’t have possibly thought of by himself in the eyes of most analysts.
A reporter just asked Nico Harrison “why shouldn’t you be fired?” 😅
Marcus Morris Doesn’t Believe Nico Harrison Made Luka Trade On His Own
Former NBA player Marcus Morris of “YN” fame, isn’t buying what he feels is Harrison’s attempt to throw himself on the sword
“He’s been taking too much heat. I know Stephen A. told me earlier he had six or seven guys text him and say ‘hey this was his (Nico’s) decision,” said the ESPN First Take co-host on Tuesday (April 22). “But I’m still not rolling with that. He’s not the guy. There’s no way that he’s the only guy who makes a decision that goes through him. It doesn’t happen that way.”
Stephen A Speaks Of Power Play By Jason Kidd & Nico Harrison
Stephen A. Smith chimed in: “I ain’t buying it, just like you ain’t buying it.” Smith went on to explain how he heard it went down, stating that Jason Kidd was tired of Luka’s “BS” and went to Nico with the idea of trading the star and Nico decided to play hero ball and take the idea to ownership.
Smith added: “Ownership was like why are we going to pay this man $345M? If y’all are complaining about the power and dominion he has over the franchise now. Well, what’s he going to have after we give him $354M dollars. We know it comes down to ownership. Nico answers to somebody…Somebody in Nico’s position would not want to give up on a 25-year-old global, iconic basketball superstar.”
Stephen A. Smith says Nico Harrison told ownership that he wanted to trade Luka
“I've received several phone calls where I've been told… it was Nico who went to [Mavs management] and said ‘I want to trade Luka Doncic’”😳
Sure, but what if Stephen A. Smith’s second-hand account is true? That means Harrison and Kidd were in cahoots on one of the biggest power plays in NBA history, threatened by Luka’s control over the franchise.
Mavs Ownership Change Has Sparked Tremendous Shift In Organization
The new ownership is clearly not as fan-savvy or passionate as former owner Mark Cuban. Then again, when Casino magnates Miriam Adelson and Patrick Dumont acquired a reported 73 percent majority stake in the Mavs (franchise value nearing $3.5 billion) in December of 2023, Cuban still reportedly held on to about 27%, retaining operational oversight.
We still don’t know the depths of his involvement in the Luka trade. Every time you see him in the stadium he seems to be pained to the core by the fans’ disgust. In the meantime, Harrison is trying to toe the company line and take whatever is thrown his way. He’s praying for a full squad next season.
