Nearly two months have passed since one of the most shocking trades in NBA history, where the Dallas Mavericks sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis. Yet, the ripple effects of this blockbuster move continue to dominate headlines.
The decision to trade the 26-year-old Slovenian star (25 at the time of the trade), who had led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals and was the undeniable face of the franchise, left many puzzled. Recently, journalist Tim MacMahon shed light on a surprising factor that may have influenced Mavs GM Nico Harrison’s decision.
In a recent appearance on DLLS Sports, MacMahon pointed to the strong relationship Harrison built with Davis during his tenure at Nike as a significant factor.
“One massive difference from a ‘why would the Mavs make this trade’ standpoint is Anthony Davis has an extremely tight relationship with Nico Harrison,” MacMahon explained. “…As far as Nike clients that Nico was tight with, Anthony Davis is probably number two on the list in terms of the bond that they had”.
“Kyrie Irving was also high on that list,” he continued. “So, you could say these are ‘Nico’s guys’ that he’s brought in with these moves. So, that’s kind of the trend that’s happening here in Dallas, and Luka Doncic is a lot of things,” MacMahon added. “I mean, we can go down the list of accolades. One thing he’s not, never has been, and certainly never will be, is ‘Nico’s guy’”.
Harrison worked at Nike from 2002 to 2021, rising to become Vice President of North American Basketball Operations. During his 19-year career, he collaborated with NBA superstars, including Davis and Irving, which may explain his comfort level in making the deal.
Skip Bayless believes the Mavs made the right move
After the Lakers’ 126-106 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, Skip Bayless shared his perspective on the trade during his podcast, explaining why he agrees with Harrison’s decision to part ways with Doncic.
“Tonight’s Lakers game at Milwaukee on national TV was exactly why Nico Harrison and the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic and why I was good with it,” Bayless said. “Tonight, the Lakers played no defense, they don’t guard the three-point line, they just wave on defense and watch Luka shoot 3s on offense because here’s the problem with Luka, back to my point about why Dallas traded him”.
“He is a high-volume, poor three-point shooter,” Bayless continued. “Over time, you can’t win with that. Once the Dallas Mavericks got past Minnesota and made it to the Finals last year, they got shot in the foot by Luka!”