The full discussion between the Dallas general manager and the media was long and often preposterous
After over 75 days silence, Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison – the face of the Mavs front office – finally spoke out about the shocking Luka Doncic trade that rocked the franchise. In a closed-door media roundtable, Harrison doubled down on the controversial trade, delivering a slew of head-scratching quotes. Mavericks fans got a masterclass in tone-deaf executive speak – a blend of arrogance, denial, and baffling logic that only made the firestorm in Dallas worse.
From professing “no regrets” after trading Doncic to dismissing franchise legend Dirk Nowitzki’s concerns, Harrison’s comments sounded like they came from an alternate reality. Below is a breakdown of the five most absurd things Nico Harrison said in that roundtable.
“No regrets” on the Luka Doncic trade
“Yeah, there’s no regrets on the trade. Part of my job is to do the best thing for the Mavericks… some of the decisions I’m going to make are going to be unpopular, and that’s my job, and I have to stand by it.”
Harrison really looked at the Luka Doncic trade – one of the most universally panned moves in NBA history – and told fans he has no regrets. This quote lands like a punch to the gut, but at least one we could brace for. After trading away a 25-year-old superstar who just carried Dallas to the 2024 NBA Finals, most of us expected at least a hint of remorse or second-guessing. Instead, Harrison is doubling down, chest out, insisting he’d do it all again if he had to. It’s the kind of quote that makes you question if he’s watched the same fallout we have.
Saying “no regrets” about this trade is absurd. The Mavericks didn’t just lose a player – they lost their franchise cornerstone, a top-five talent who wanted to be in Dallas. The return? An aging Anthony Davis, a role player, and a distant draft pick – a package universally deemed laughable for Luka’s caliber. It’s hard not to be incensed hearing the GM act as if everything went according to plan. Harrison’s job is indeed to make tough decisions, but when that decision torpedoes the team’s present and future, it infuriates me to hear him double down.
Instead, we got Harrison thumping his chest about “standing by” an unpopular move. Hearing “no regrets” is infuriating because we have plenty of regrets. There is regret in trusting that the front office would build around Luka (not trade him). There are the regrets of the lost years of what could have been in a lengthy Dirk-then-Luka dual era. Harrison’s flippancy feels like a slap in the face to a loyal fan base. If this is him trying to “earn the trust of the community,” as he put it, he’s doing the exact opposite.
Trading Luka “quietly” with no bidding war because he believes Anthony Davis to be the superior player
“We had an opportunity to do this quietly, without the interference… and so we did it.”
Even more perplexing was Harrison’s proud explanation that the Mavericks only negotiated with the Lakers for the Luka trade – on purpose. When asked if he considered calling other teams to get a better offer, Harrison basically said no, because he targeted Anthony Davis alone and executed the deal “quietly” to avoid any outside interference. In other words, he deliberately chose not to shop Luka Doncic around the league for the best package, because he literally believes Anthony Davis is the best possible player and package he could’ve gotten.
This is a stunning admission. Typically, if a superstar ever hits the trade market, a GM would trigger a bidding war among 29 teams to extract every possible asset. Not Nico Harrison. He talked to one team. He “only spoke to the Lakers and never shopped Dončić to any other teams,” as he himself admitted. This is a dereliction of his responsibilities and is a fireable offense.
Ignoring Dirk Nowitzki and fan sentiment (“My obligation is to the Mavericks”)
“My obligation is to the Dallas Mavericks… Some of those decisions are going to be unpopular maybe to Dirk and maybe to the fans, but my obligation is to the Dallas Mavericks.”
Harrison was already a heel in the situation, but to casual fans this moment might elevate him to true villain status. In the roundtable, Harrison was pressed about reports that Dirk Nowitzki was unhappy with some of the front office’s moves. Harrison’s response? A dismissive comment that he’s doing what’s best for the Mavericks, even if Dirk or the fans don’t like it.
To paraphrase: “Sorry, Dirk, sorry fans – I know better, and I’m doing what I want.” Dirk Nowitzki is not just a retired player; he’s the soul of the franchise, the guy who bled for Dallas for 21 seasons and delivered Dallas its only championship. If Dirk has concerns about the direction of the team, maybe, just maybe, you should listen. But Harrison waved it off as if Dirk and the fans are obstacles to his “obligation.”
It also rings hollow; who defines the Mavericks if not their history and their fans? Dirk is Mavericks history. The fans are what make the Mavericks a viable franchise. By implying that pleasing Dirk or the fanbase might conflict with doing what’s best for the team, Harrison essentially set himself above the entire Mavericks community. It’s an “us versus them” mentality – Harrison’s vision against everyone who loves this team.
This is where Harrison’s ego shines through the most. He frames himself as the lone steward of the franchise’s best interests, even as his moves have set the team back. It’s especially rich considering the context: Dirk was reportedly upset at Harrison for unceremoniously ousting longtime team figures who were like family to Dirk (and to many players and fans). Harrison’s response was not to reassure that he respects Dirk’s input; instead he marginalized Dirk’s voice. That’s how you alienate a fanbase in one easy step.
By painting his controversial decisions as noble obligations, he’s telling us to sit down, be quiet, and trust him – the results be damned. After the past few months, that stance is both arrogant and deeply out of touch with Mavericks’ reality.
“They weren’t fired” – Dismissing the firing of longtime staff and claiming replacements are better
“A lot of these people actually weren’t fired, their contracts ended…”
We’re veering towards inside baseball here. Most of us root for the uniform and the players in one order or another. Caring deeply about front or back office staff isn’t a usual thing. Which makes Harrison’s attempt to mislead about what actually happened with long time Dallas staffers that much more annoying. Harrison played semantics about the fate of longtime Mavericks staffers. When asked about letting go of highly respected team personnel (like trainer Casey Smith), Harrison’s first defense was: actually, they weren’t fired, their contracts just “ended”. This is a distinction without a difference. Those people were shown the door under Harrison’s watch, and everyone – especially Dirk – knows it.
Harrison’s being blatantly evasive. The intent was clearly to remove or replace those individuals; whether you call it firing or “choosing not to renew a contract” is just word games. It’s insulting to pretend that losing these folks was just some routine expiration of terms. Casey Smith spent over 20 years keeping Mavs players healthy. He didn’t just wander off when his deal ended – he was pushed out, and everyone knows it.
His response completely sidestepped why their removal was in the “best interest” of the Mavericks. When pressed on why it was better for the team to have moved on, Harrison refused to answer directly. He instead spun it positively, saying the staff he hired to replace Smith “have done an amazing job” and that “the guys we brought in are better.” Better. He really said that. We understand that injuries happen, but the Mavericks have been in a bad place this year, so saying they’re better can’t be backed up by actual facts.
Winning will simply bring the fans back
“…I do believe that once we win, the fans will come back.”
Finally, we have Harrison’s almost casual dismissal of the fan backlash. He acknowledged the “venom” out there – the “fire Nico” signs, the outrage, even death threats – but his takeaway was essentially: it’s fine, once we start winning, those same fans will be back on board.
Sure, winning tends to heal wounds in sports. But coming from the guy who caused the wound, it’s a bit rich. Harrison is treating the fan anger as a temporary tantrum that will subside whenever his plan finally delivers results. He’s missing the point.
Mavericks fans aren’t just upset about losing games; we’re heartbroken about losing Luka Doncic. The bond between Luka and the city was something special – akin to Dirk’s era. You don’t just blow that up and expect fans to shrug and say “well, a championship with someone else is just as good.” Sports fandom is more emotional than that.
Fans dreamed of Luka Doncic lifting that trophy in Dallas. That dream was stolen. Even if, in some far-off scenario, the Mavericks win a championship with this new roster, it won’t erase the pain of what could have been. Many fans feel betrayed, not just because the team got worse, but because a sense of identity is gone. Harrison acts as if fans are merely upset at the current win-loss record, and not the entire direction of the franchise.
He’s awfully presumptive given the current state of the team. Harrison confidently claimed the new core of Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, rookie Dereck Lively, and others is a “championship caliber team”, but we only say that team for 2 and a half quarters before it broke. Do you know what else was a championship-caliber team? The one Luka Doncic led to the NBA Finals last year.
Fans might still love the team’s logo and colors, but a lot of them no longer believe in the leadership. Winning some games in the future might bring back fair-weather fans, sure. But the die-hards (the ones who felt a piece of their fandom die when Luka was traded) won’t so easily forgive and forget. The notion that fans are just waiting to jump back on the bandwagon is the kind of thinking that underestimates the depth of this trauma.
Fans aren’t just mad because the Mavericks are losing. They’re mad because they feel betrayed. Harrison can’t metrics-and-spin your way out of that with a few extra wins. If the team ever reaches the heights he envisions, yes, some healing will occur. But even then, Luka’s shadow will loom large. And if that winning never comes? Well, he might find that burned bridges with the Dallas Mavericks community aren’t so easily rebuilt.
Nico Harrison’s second public explanations for the Luka Doncic fiasco somehow managed to make things worse. His tone throughout the roundtable alternated between defiant and delusional, leaving Mavericks fans equal parts enraged and exasperated. The Mavs front office has a credibility crisis on its hands. Harrison’s words did nothing to repair it – in fact, they reinforced the perception that this GM just doesn’t “get it,” whether “it” is the bond between a superstar and a city, the reverence owed to franchise legends, or the basic accountability that fans deserve.
At the end of the day, actions speak louder than words. Harrison is betting that his actions (treading water now, supposedly winning big later) will vindicate him. But until that day – if it ever comes – Mavericks fans are left stewing over these quotes and wondering how their team’s architect can sound so smug while sitting in the rubble of a championship-caliber roster he blew up. As a frustrated Mavs fan and observer, I can only say: we hear you, Nico, loud and clear… we just don’t like anything we’re hearing