Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison met with select media members on Tuesday to address the organization’s puzzling decision to trade Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers. However, it seems Harrison could have been more selective with the participants in the meeting. Initially, reporters were not allowed to record the conversation, leaving fans unaware of what questions were asked. Eventually, recording was permitted.
ESPN NBA reporter Tim MacMahon was particularly tough on Harrison, as highlighted in transcripts that have emerged from the meeting. MacMahon posed direct questions, urging Harrison to clarify the reasoning behind trading a young star like Dončić. He stated, “’27 to ’30, you’re out on your first round capital. Your own words, you created a three to four-year time frame. When the credit card bill comes due, that time frame is over. How is that in the best interest of long-term interests of the franchise? You traded the guy who led that Finals team? How is that in the long term best interest when he’s a 25-year-old, generational talent?”
In response, Harrison reiterated a familiar stance: “Defense wins championships.” He expressed confidence that the team has a championship caliber lineup now and for the future, stating, “Ultimately, we’re going to be held to the standard of wins and losses, and every executive in every field is going to be held to that same standard.” But MacMahon pressed further, asking how sacrificing their future for a 25-year-old superstar aligns with the franchise’s long-term interests, emphasizing the lack of sense in losing first-round capital.
Sensing MacMahon’s skepticism regarding his decision, Harrison claimed MacMahon would change his perspective once the Mavericks win. “You obviously don’t agree, and that’s fine, but we’re excited about the future of our team,” he said. MacMahon then highlighted that Dončić had led the team to the NBA Finals just the previous season, asking if Harrison didn’t believe the team could continue to contend with him at the center.
SHOUTOUT TIM MACMAHON FOR FLAMING NICO HARRISON ABOUT THE LUKA TRADE🔥🔥🔥🔥
READ WHAT HE SAID BELOW👇👇👇 pic.twitter.com/RCXbhSozIA
— Mavs Lead (@MavsLead) April 16, 2025
Harrison reiterated that “defense wins championships,” a response that MacMahon dismissed as a simplistic answer. During an appearance on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas the next day, MacMahon took a jab at Harrison’s repeated argument, comparing him to a wind-up doll that could only repeat one line. “He didn’t want to deal with him anymore. He decided to dump him,” MacMahon remarked, highlighting that the Mavericks had just won the Western Conference Finals last year but were beaten in the Finals, suggesting that defense was not the issue in that series. He argued that if Harrison were going to make such a controversial move, he needed to provide a more compelling justification, adding it was an “epic failure” for Harrison to explain his decision in their meeting.
.@espn_macmahon on the exclusive #Mavs roundtable: ‘It was an epic failure’
Listen to his entire segment with @1053SS, @rjchoppy and @BobbyBeltTX as he describes what went down during the sitdown with Nico Harrison and Rick Welts: https://t.co/oE4cNZhDCp pic.twitter.com/q2AEy9qqGf
— 105.3 The FAN (@1053thefan) April 16, 2025
Clearly, MacMahon isn’t shy about holding Harrison accountable for what he, along with many others, views as a significant mistake.
