Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison made decisions which forced Dirk Nowitzki to distance himself from the franchise. This was well before Luka Doncic was traded.
In an ESPN exclusive, insider Tim MacMahon detailed how Harrison firing Casey Smith, Mavs director of health and performance, in the summer of 2023 was a clear inflection point for the franchise.
Smith joined Dallas as the head athletic trainer in 2004 and was promoted to executive ranks in 2019. Nowitzki credits Smith with having helped him play for 21 seasons and considers Smith to be one of his best friends.
Soon after Nowitzki was enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Harrison reached out to Smith saying they needed to meet. Smith declined, citing he was in Ohio to be with his ill mother in the final weeks of her life.
In response, Harrison set up a video conference meeting during which he relieved Smith of his duties.
As a result, Nowitzki, who had served as a senior advisor to Mark Cuban, no longer wanted to be involved in the inner workings of the franchise’s basketball operations. He just considers himself a “Mavs fan” now.
Smith currently works for the New York Knicks as their vice president of sports medicine.
Harrison War Path With Nowitzki, Doncic Detailed
Lara Beth Seager also plays a key role in the story. She is Nowitzki’s longtime special projects manager and became Doncic’s business manager after being introduced by Nowitzki.
Before Smith’s firing, Doncic and Seager hired Real Madrid physiotherapist Javier Barrio Calvo. They also hired Slovenian national team strength coach Anze Macek after Doncic struggled to shake off a quadriceps injury in the summer of 2023.
It is not uncommon for NBA players these days to build their own athletic performance team.
The plan was for the duo to work in tandem with Smith. It was Jeremy Holsopple, though, who became the lead man as athletic performance director after Smith’s firing. Casey Spangler also worked as a manual therapist.
Holsopple and Spangler were in sync with the new hires in their first season together. Doncic averaged a league-leading 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds and 9.8 assists in 2023-24, and finished third in MVP voting.
That wasn’t enough for Harrison, who believed Doncic gained weight during the season. That didn’t sit well with Doncic, Seager or the rest of his team, including agent Bill Duffy. Holsopple and Spangler were let go by Harrison and replaced by Johann Bilsborough and Keith Belton.
Doncic Calf Strain Sends Harrison Into Overdrive
If things were getting bad before, they were about to get worse.
Bilsborough clashed with Doncic’s team repeatedly on body maintenance and return dates, among other things. Doncic kept his distance from Belton, who was reportedly considered an unqualified, glorified cheerleader.
For example, when Doncic strained his calf on Christmas Day earlier this season, Bilsborough believed a two-to-three week timeline was enough. Doncic’s team of Calvo and Macek, meanwhile, stood firm on six weeks.
As disagreements continued during Doncic’s recovery, Harrison grew frustrated Doncic wasn’t traveling with the team for road games and was instead prioritizing recovery at the Dallas facility.
With Doncic nearing a return, Harrison traded Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a first-round pick.
At 39-43, Dallas ended the season 10th in the West and missed the playoffs after a Finals run last spring.
The Lakers finished third in the West with a 50-32 record and are playing the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round.
