になったんです。 English: The first thing you can do is to find the best one to do.The Dallas Mavericks under Nico Harrison were not only missing Luka Donsic. They also parted ways with Jalen Brunson, who blossomed into a legitimate star with the New York Knicks, pursuing his first championship.
Jalen Brunson left Dallas in July 2022, signing a four-year, $104 million contract with the Knicks, which many fans considered a devastating blow to the franchise’s future.
Branson’s departure may have seemed like a gut punch to fans, but Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison recently revealed that he is preparing for this outcome before the organization has happened.
“You lose the talent like Branson, that’s definitely a blow,” Harrison admitted. “But we’ve experienced it before. We knew it could happen. We did as good a job as you could by predicting something like this would actually happen.”
Branson’s rise from a second round pick to a playoff standout significantly increased his market value, making his departure more and more possible as free agency approached.
GM noted the strong connections of security guards with the Knicks organization as they did not express any shock at Branson’s chosen destination. “Did he go to New York? No,” Harrison said. “You see the relationship he has with someone he has in New York. That’s not surprising. It’s not at all.”
These connections ran deep, with Branson’s father, Rick Branson, serving as the Knicks’ assistant coach, and team president Leon Rose previously represented Jalen as an agent.
While fans may have wanted a different outcome, the Mavericks front office appears to recognize that these relationships play a key role in Branson’s decision-making process.
The aftermath of Branson’s departure led Dallas to rush to fill in the scoring and playmaking void he left behind. Many speculated that Tim Hardaway Jr., who has returned from his injury, will be responsible for much of this burden.
Harrison acknowledged Hardaway’s potential contribution without suggesting that he would directly replace everything Branson brought to the team.
“I’m going to get a lot of points that I lost from JB,” Harrison said of Hardaway. “He’s a big three-point shot maker. He can get the ball, and he can play defense too. He calls him an add, despite being with our team.
Despite Hardaway’s moments, the chemistry that defined Branson’s game, his playmaking abilities and postseason calm proved difficult to replicate. Dallas ultimately struggled to find the right roster balance, putting Luka Donsic’s shoulder even more accountable.
Looking back, Harrison’s comments reveal a front office who saw the writing written on the wall but felt the stab wounds of losing his homemade talent that continued to rise after departure.