The Dallas Mavericks held a press conference to clear the atmosphere surrounding Luka Donsic’s trade, but that made things worse.
On April 15th, Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison made his second appearance in the media since trading Lukadon Sic for the Los Angeles Lakers. Since trading Donsic, Harrison has seen strong criticisms of effective criticism, and many around the league believe he will be fired soon.
At a press conference where recording devices are banned, Harrison doubled his “Defense Winning Championship” mantra and insisted he had no regrets.
Few members of the local media were invited to attend, and fans took them to social media to call out Harrison and the Mavericks.
The next day, the former player sang the same song.
For most eyes, Dallas’ upcoming play-in tournament game and the Sacramento Kings and Don Sic Trade were not on the minds of fans. However, Harrison used a postseason basketball cover to host “Round Table Discussions.”
“What he did yesterday is totally coronavirus,” Chandler Parsons said at Fundererels. Please do it. “The fact that he doesn’t allow microphones or cameras is the most shocking thing I’ve ever seen in the media and sports. This is ridiculous.”
Parsons had two good seasons of his NBA career with the Mavericks from 2014-16, and has covered them for a long time with his new media career.
“You just want to feel that respect and that trust,” he continued. “And in this deal, I understand that in this deal, where he came from and how he accomplished it had to be kept a secret, but this is not just class. This is a bad business. Especially not dealing with it like Luka Donsic, who did it all for the city.”
Donsic was expected to become the face of the Mavericks franchise for the rest of his career. Dirk Nowitzki’s successor, Doncic, has revealed that he is aiming to spend the rest of his career in Dallas.
“He’s been there more than you ever was,” Parsons finished. “This is not a respectful thing. And I think it’s a bad play. And I think yesterday, this whole sit-in, this little kunbaya meeting yesterday was odd.”
Harrison is expected to be fired despite the majority of season ticket holders renewing plans for next season. Harrison claims that the deal ages well, as in most of the deals he has made, but as long as Harrison is leading the way, it’s hard to believe fans will fill the franchise again.
The Mavericks proved their core can hang alongside the best teams in the NBA last season, and it seemed Dallas would stay on the course and make minor tweaks to their roster for the next decade or more.
Donsic was solidifying himself as a top three player in the league and as an elite playoff performer. Interestingly, the moves Harrison has made in recent seasons seemed to focus on building a core around Don Sic.
Both Daniel Gafford and draft pick Dereck Lively II won the best in Doncic, but neither can share the floor with Davis in a modern-spaced NBA game.