Tag: cites

CLEVELAND — Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison emphasized the importance of “culture” in explaining his stunning decision to trade 25-year-old superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package headlined by 31-year-old All-Star big man Anthony Davis.

“As we turn the page, I think it’s important to know that [Mavs coach Jason Kidd] and I, we’ve had a vision and the culture that we want to create since we’ve been here,” Harrison said before Sunday’s 144-101 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. “The players that we’re bringing in, we believe, exemplify that. We think defense wins championships, and we’re bringing in one of the best two-way players in the league.”

The Mavericks and Lakers finalized the three-way deal that the Utah Jazz helped facilitate around midnight ET on Saturday night. The Mavericks will also receive promising third-year wing Max Christie and the Lakers’ 2029 first-round draft pick while sending injured big man Maxi Kleber and reserve veteran forward Markieff Morris to Los Angeles along with Doncic.

The reaction throughout the league and team, however, was shock that Dallas would part with a five-time first-team All-NBA selection who is approaching his prime, particularly only months after Doncic led the Mavs to the NBA Finals.

“Well, let’s be clear: I’m the one making the decision and [Kidd]’s supportive of it, so it’s me,” said Harrison, who has made major trades before the deadline in each of his four years as Mavericks GM. “I don’t do anything that’s scary. I think everything that we do, we put a lot of work into it, we study it and we re-study it and we go back. I understand the magnitude of it.

“So the easiest thing for me to do is do nothing, and everyone would praise me for doing nothing. But we really believe in it — and time will tell if I’m right.”

Sources told ESPN that constant concerns about Doncic’s conditioning were a major factor in the Mavericks’ decision to approach the Lakers about a trade for Davis. Doncic has played in only 22 games this season because of injuries, primarily a left calf strain that has sidelined him since Christmas Day. There was extreme frustration throughout the organization about Doncic’s lackadaisical approach to diet and conditioning, which Dallas’ decision-makers believed negatively impacted his durability, sources said.

Harrison, however, demurred when asked whether he was implying that Doncic did not fit the culture that the Mavericks are attempting to build.

“Listen, one thing about me, I’m not going to talk bad about any players,” Harrison said. “I mean, that’s not going to do us or me any good. I just say there’s levels to it. There’s people that fit the culture and there’s people that come in and add to the culture. And those are two distinct things. And I believe the people that [are] coming in are adding to the culture.”

Later Sunday, Doncic posted a message to Dallas on social media, telling fans that “[I] thought I’d spend my career here and I wanted so badly to bring you a championship. The love and support you all have given me is more than I could have ever dreamed of. For a young kid from Slovenia coming to the U.S. for the first time, you made North Texas feel like home.

“In good times and bad, from injuries to the NBA Finals, your support never changed. Thank you not only for sharing my joy in our best moments, but also for lifting me up when I needed it most.”

Harrison said the trade was made to “make our team better,” but he also mentioned Doncic’s contractual situation as a consideration. Doncic was eligible to sign a five-year, $345 million supermax contract this summer, and league sources said he anticipated agreeing to that deal.

Instead, the Mavericks traded him before they could offer him such an extension. Because of the trade, Doncic no longer qualifies for a supermax deal. He can sign an extension with the Lakers for as much as $229 million over five years this summer. Doncic can opt out of his contract after the 2025-26 season, when several teams, including the Miami Heat, are expected to make a maximum offer to free agents.

“There’s some unique things about his contract that we had to pay attention to,” Harrison said. “There’s other teams that were loading up that he was going to be able to decide, make his own decision at some point of whether he wants to be here or not. Whether we want to supermax him or not, or whether he wants to opt out. So, I think we had to take all that into consideration, and I feel like we got out in front of what could have been a tumultuous summer.”

Harrison did not discuss potential Doncic trades with any franchise other than the Lakers, as the Mavericks made acquiring 10-time All-Star and five-time All-Defensive Team selection Davis their goal. Harrison initiated talks with Los Angeles general manager Rob Pelinka over coffee when the Lakers were in Dallas to play the Mavs on Jan. 7, and those discussions progressed over the following weeks.

“We kept it between us,” Harrison said. “We had to keep it tight. J-Kidd didn’t know about it, but J-Kidd and I are aligned. We talk about archetypes, and we talk about the culture that we want to create. So I know the type of players that he likes without actually talking to him.”

Kidd, who coached Davis as a Lakers assistant on the 2019-20 title team, said he wasn’t aware of the trade until the “11th hour.” It was briefly discussed in a Sunday morning team meeting, but Kidd said none of the Mavs players asked questions when given the opportunity.

“It is a little shocking, but in the sense, we have to push forward,” Kidd said. “As an organization, as a team, we have a game to play, and we have to be pros about it. But we understand what Luka has meant to the Mavericks, and we wish him and his family the best in L.A. Also, Maxi and [Morris]. But we have to push forward, and we believe we have a team to do that.”

Trading Doncic, who averaged 28.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game in his 6½-year Mavericks tenure and led the league in scoring last season, has not received positive feedback. The Mavericks fan base has reacted angrily on social media and in small protests outside the American Airlines Center.

“I’m sorry they’re frustrated, but it’s something that we believe in as an organization,” Harrison said. “It’s going to make us better. We believe that it sets us up to win, not only now, but also in the future. And when we win, I believe the frustration will go away.”

Harrison was adamant that the addition of Davis, in particular, immediately boosted the Mavs’ championship hopes. Davis, who is recovering from a minor abdominal injury, is averaging 25.7 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks this season.

“He fits our timeframe,” Harrison said. “If you pair him with Kyrie [Irving] and the rest of the guys, he fits right along with our timeframe to win now and win in the future. And the future to me is three, four years from now. The future 10 years from now, I don’t know. They’ll probably bury me and [Kidd] by then. Or we’ll bury ourselves.”