A couple of Dallas Mavericks reporters are at odds over the validity of reported death threats received by Mavs general manager Nico Harrison.
Harrison has been at the center of a media firestorm after orchestrating the trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. Last week, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported that the Mavericks were beefing up security at American Airlines Center after supposed threats to Harrison’s life.
Independent Mavericks reporter Grant Afseth checked in with the Dallas Police Department about Harrison’s reported death threats. Dallas P.D. told Afseth that there were “no known threats at this time.” Afseth’s rebuttal of MacMahon’s report became a trending topic on social media.
Dallas Police Department's Public Information Officer tells me, "There are no known threats at this time," directed at Mavericks GM Nico Harrison.
This comes despite ESPN's report yesterday on added security measures due to "death threats" ahead of Saturday's game vs. Rockets. https://t.co/Ka1scX0OEL
— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) February 8, 2025
Appearing on the “Hoop Collective” podcast on Monday, MacMahon “doubled down” on his report that Harrison had received death threats. MacMahon cleared up that the death threats “did not raise themselves to where they felt like they needed to be reported to the police.” The ESPN journalist also called Afseth a “wannabe reporter” and claimed that he himself has received death threats over his reporting on the Doncic trade.
TIM MACMAHON MELTDOWN: On the latest Hoops Collective episode Tim MacMahon calls @GrantAfseth a “wannabe reporter”, because Grant actually called the Dallas Police and asked, if there are any known death threats to Nico Harrison (to nobody’s surprise there weren’t any). pic.twitter.com/F4mxXq8LIh
— SLO HOOPS FAN 🇸🇮 (@SloHoopsFan) February 10, 2025
Afseth responded by stating his intention was to clear the Mavericks fan base and the city of Dallas from being given an “undeserving reputation on global TV.”
Tim MacMahon: "The threats did not raise themselves to the level that they needed to be reported to the police."
That's what "some wannabe reporter" reported the first time.
I don't think it's fair to give a fanbase or the city of Dallas an undeserving reputation on global TV. https://t.co/IDPXrqa5Zt
— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) February 10, 2025
Some fans online have accused MacMahon of serving as an unofficial mouthpiece for Harrison and the Mavericks amid all the negative backlash the team has received.
Mavericks supporters have been understandably emotional since Doncic was traded. But whether some of them have actually crossed the line with death threats to Harrison remains unclear.
