CLEVELAND — Dallas Mavericks president and general manager Nico Harrison said he “understands the magnitude” of the mega-trade he just pulled Sunday, sending Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, but defended the move by insisting it improved his team’s culture.
“It’s important to know that (Dallas coach Jason) Kidd and I are aligned and we talk about archetypes and we talk about the culture we want to create,” Harrison said Sunday, seated next to Kidd before the Mavericks’ game in Cleveland.
“There are levels to it, and there are people that fit the culture and there’s people that come in and add to the culture,” Harrison continued. “Those are two distinct things and I believe the people that are coming in are adding to the culture.”
Added Kidd: “When you look at the vision of the team and what Nico wants to do, and I truly support that and truly believe that the players that we are getting are the ones who can help us achieve that, and that’s to win a championship.”
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Late Saturday, Dallas traded Dončić, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris to the Lakers for Davis, Max Christie, and Los Angeles’ 2029 first-round pick. As part of the trade, the Utah Jazz received Jalen Hood-Schifino and 2025 second-round picks from the LA Clippers and Mavericks.
Dončić, 25, the third overall pick of the 2018 draft, is a five-time All-Star averaging 28.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists over his seven seasons. He spearheaded the Mavs’ run to the NBA Finals last year, which ended in a five-game loss to the Boston Celtics, and he was eligible to sign a five-year, $345 million contract extension with the Mavericks this summer.
In an interview overnight with the Dallas Morning News, Harrison referenced Dončić’s contract situation as a reason to move on from him now, and he echoed the sentiments in his session with reporters in Cleveland. He said there were some “unique things” about Dončić’s contract, referenced rival clubs preparing to sign him as a free agent (in 2026, if Dončić’never signed the supermax), and said “we feel like we got out in front of what could have been a tumultuous year.”
But at the same time, Harrison said he had been given no indication Dončić would refuse to sign such a lucrative contract extension.
“Nothing verbally that would leave me to believe that,” Harrison said. “It’s a matter of, you know, once you put that out there, they accept or they don’t,” Harrison said. “At that point, you’re kind of on the clock.”
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Dončić has played in just 22 games this season, averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists in those contests, and he hasn’t competed since sustaining a calf strain on Christmas.
Davis, who is currently out with an abdominal strain, is 32. He’s a 10-time All-Star and perennial candidate for Defensive Player of the Year, while also averaging nearly 26 points and 12 rebounds this season.
“Defense wins championships and AD is the one that we truly believe fits with (Dereck) Lively, and (Daniel) Gafford and P.J. (Washington),” Kidd said. “And so when you look at going forward we’re looking at the window to win now.”
This story will be updated.
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(Photo: Richard Rodriguez / Getty Images)
