Mavs GM Nico Harrison on stunning Luka Doncic trade: ‘It’s my job to make tough decisions’

Mavs GM Nico Harrison on stunning Luka Doncic trade: ‘It’s my job to make tough decisions’ 

Somehow the sun did in fact dawn Sunday in North Texas, piercing though not erasing the shroud of Mavericks fans’ shock, despair and anger.

The previous night’s astonishing bombshell was in fact reality: The Mavericks really did trade 25-year-old superstar Luka Doncic to the despised and perpetually hoops-god-blessed Los Angeles Lakers.

If anything, raw emotion intensified as Sunday unfolded, with fans gathering outside American Airlines Center to protest the trade as the Mavericks played an afternoon game in Cleveland.

“We definitely understand the magnitude of what just transpired,” Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison said, using the word “magnitude” three times during a nine-minute news conference in Cleveland. “It’s not lost on us.”

Magnitude? This is the most shocking trade in the Mavericks’ 45-year history and arguably the most stunning transaction in the NBA’s 78 seasons.

Ordinarily the corresponding news that 10-time All-Star forward-center Anthony Davis is headed to Dallas would be met with equal astonishment and great euphoria, but Doncic is six years younger than Davis and seemingly scratching the surface of his generational greatness.

As part of a three-team trade that included Utah, Dallas is also sending Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to the Lakers. Along with Davis, Los Angeles is sending Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick to Dallas.

News of the trade broke shortly before 11 p.m. Saturday. It was after midnight when Harrison spoke to The Dallas Morning News as the blockbuster dominated talk on social media and ESPN.

Sure, Davis is one of the world’s top 10 players and a 2020 NBA champion, but Doncic is beloved by Mavericks fans and helped lead the franchise to the NBA Finals last June.

“I understand why they would be shocked initially,” Harrison told The News. “But I do believe that we positioned ourselves to win now and also win in the future.

“And that’s ultimately the goal and why we’re here. It’s one of those things where it’s my job to make the tough decisions that put our goals first and foremost.”

Doncic, like Mavericks fans, had every reason to believe he was the face of the franchise for the foreseeable future, perhaps not approaching Dirk Nowitzki’s record 21 seasons here, but for a long time nonetheless.

“I thought I’d spend my career here and I wanted so badly to bring you a championship,” Doncic wrote late Sunday in a “Dear Dallas” letter to fans. “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.”

Early Sunday afternoon, Harrison and Mavericks coach Jason Kidd sat side by side during the news conference in Cleveland, similar to when they were introduced to Dallas fans as GM and coach in late June 2021.

Harrison again was asked about fan reaction.

“I’m sorry they’re frustrated, but it’s something that we believe in as an organization that’s going to make us better. We believe that it sets us up to win not only now but also in the future.

“When we win, I believe the frustration will go away.”