Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison is explaining himself after agreeing to a staggering trade of his team’s franchise player.
The absolute shocker broke late on Saturday night that the Mavericks have traded five-time NBA All-Star Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers as part of a multi-team deal. The return package for Dallas is headlined by Anthony Davis and Max Christie (full details here).
Shortly after the news broke, Harrison spoke to Tim MacMahon of ESPN to explain the flabbergasting move.
“I believe that defense wins championships,” said Harrison. “I believe that getting an All-Defensive center and an All-NBA player with a defensive mindset [in Davis] gives us a better chance. We’re built to win now and in the future.”
MacMahon also added a report of his own that the Mavs had “major concerns” about Doncic going forward due to his constant conditioning issues as well as the impending commitment of another supermax contract.
Doncic began his career with the Mavericks in 2018 and blossomed into a five-time First Team All-NBA selection who led the NBA in scoring last year and brought Dallas to the Finals just a matter of months ago. Conventional wisdom has long suggested that you never even think about trading that kind of player, especially when he is still only 25 years old.
Instead though, Dallas, currently sitting at 26-23 with Doncic in the middle of an extended absence due to a calf injury, has decided that the 11-time All-Star and five-time All-Defensive selection Davis, 32, along with the budding 21-year-old two-way star Christie will give them a better chance to compete. Meanwhile, the Lakers now secure Doncic, who will be the next face of their franchise for the post-LeBron James era. As for the rest of us, we are all just reacting with our mouths agape right now.
