For the first time since he made the decision to shockingly trade franchise cornerstone Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison met with reporters—albeit in a setting that he entirely controlled.
Harrison hand-picked press members to meet with him in a private setting, without any video or recording devices, to discuss the decision to trade Doncic to the Lakers.
Harrison focused his discussion on "defense winning championships" and emphasized trying to capture a title within the franchise's current window. However, his statements fly in the face of the Mavericks making the NBA Finals last season with Doncic on the roster as a key cog in the wheel.
ESPN's Tim MacMahon, who was one of the reporters in the meeting, ripped Harrison on ESPN for his decision to hold a press conference without the full media contingent (or recording devices).
"Did you know defense wins championships? We were reminded of that over, and over, and over, and over again yesterday. Everything that Nico Harrison was asked about came back to it," MacMahon said. "...If the point was to soothe the feelings of an outraged fanbase, this was an epic failure."
.@espn_macmahon reacts to Nico Harrison's invite-only meeting on the Luka trade 👀
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 16, 2025
“If the point was to soothe the feelings of an outraged fanbase, this was an epic failure.” 😳
(via @SportsCenter) pic.twitter.com/zlx5uhRHmQ
The Mavericks take on the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night in a play-in matchup between the No. 9 and No. 10 seeds in the Western Conference. If the Mavericks lose, expect the heat to be turned up even higher on Harrison heading into the offseason.
More NBA on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as ESPN Insider Rips Mavericks GM Nico Harrison's Private Press Gathering.
