One of the biggest trades in NBA history was followed up by one of the most awkward moments as Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison explained his side of the blockbuster Luka Doncic trade in a team press conference over the weekend.
Harrison talked about how he facilitated Doncic’s move to the Los Angeles Lakers without the knowledge of several members in the Mavericks building, including head coach Jason Kidd.
The super awkward part? Kidd was sitting right next to him as this information was being revealed to reporters.
“We kept it between us, we had to,” Harrison said. “We had to keep it tight. J-Kidd didn’t know about it. But J-Kidd and I are aligned and 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.
“I think when you’re aligned with your coach like that, I know the type of players that he likes,” Harrison stated again, for good measure. “So I felt good about it making sense to where we’re trying to go.”
Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd wasn't informed about the Luka Dončić trade until after the deal was finalized, according to GM Nico Harrison. pic.twitter.com/XQHIcizhNa
— ESPN (@espn) February 2, 2025
Must be nice to be able to communicate telepathically with your head coach.
Unsurprisingly, NBA fans weren’t buying Harrison’s excuse for keeping Kidd out of the loop. Kidd himself said he was shocked by the trade but remained stoic throughout the presser as Harrison talked at length about how great their relationship was.
One comment under the YouTube video of the press conference read, “Kidd, blink twice if you’re a hostage.”
Plenty of other NBA fans were quick to point out how awkward the whole situation was while expressing concern for Kidd:
Jason Kidd is a better man than me because I would have quit on the spot AND slashed his tires on my way out of the parking lot. https://t.co/5gx5UZ1PkT
— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) February 3, 2025
Seems you might want your head coach’s perspective on a trade of this magnitude - assuming you respect his opinion on personnel he coaches. https://t.co/wFBuqqZJbg
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdNFL) February 2, 2025
This is exactly precisely like a magazine or website editor not being told ahead of time that there's going to be a "thoughtful redesign." https://t.co/4nZmxqDHcQ
— Alex Heard (@alexheard) February 2, 2025
Kidd looks like he wants to vomit dude https://t.co/O1gIGO6EkD
— F♯A♯∞, fka ☕️ (@coopercooperco) February 2, 2025
Jason Kidd is trying not to strangle this dude on live TV https://t.co/tRhbm7Xp5T
— Holden (@HoldenGound) February 3, 2025
https://t.co/f3f2gnSaEg pic.twitter.com/Tb4TS5QotL
— Logan Brown (@LoganABrown) February 3, 2025
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mavericks GM Talking About Luka Doncic Trade in Front of Jason Kidd Was So Awkward.
