General Manager, Nico Harrison has made a decision that caused the Dallas Mavericks their present and future.
On Feb. 1, major changes were made as the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks organization decided to move on from 5-time all-star, 5-time all-NBA and MVP contender Luka Dončić. In return for him, they received the Los Angeles Lakers, who gave up 10-time all-star and NBA champion Anthony Davis and Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick. This move caused lots of controversy around the NBA world, as fans worldwide weren’t happy about the trade.
The cause of trade was Dončić’s poor conditioning, as it was believed he weighed in around 270 pounds. With the addition of his super max extension, which was coming up during the summer. The contract was projected to be five years, $346 million, and the Mavs didn’t want to commit to this deal. To get out of this questionable situation, Harrison decided to get rid of the star and possibly ended the rest of his career.
Since the trade, the Mavs have been struggling, boasting a record of 38-40 and sitting at the 9th seed in the Western Conference. Ultimately, they put them against the Sacramento Kings in the play-in tournament, which they ended up winning 120-106. Putting them into the second round of the play-in against the Memphis Grizzlies, but ended up losing to them 120-106, kicking them out of playoff contention. They have also been the unhealthiest team in the NBA due to the number of injuries the team has gone through. With a historic high of 10 people injured at a time this season, they have been close to having to forfeit games.
More than any average basketball fan, the Mavericks’ fans are livid with the trade. As fans decorated caskets in memory of what Dončić did for them. They protested with “Fire Nico” signs and marches. Fans soon started chanting it at the games and included their signs with them, ultimately getting some kicked out, leading to even more hate for Harrison.Even though Dončić is gone, Dallas still has their stars Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis leading the team.
With a great supporting cast that consists of players like Klay Thompson, Derrick Lively II and P.J. Washington. But with Irving out for the season and most likely the majority of next year’s season, and the rest being injury-prone. It doesn’t seem like the Mavericks have a championship to look forward to anytime soon. Leading up to the question, should the Mavs fire Harrison?
