Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison made a highly controversial trade, sending Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis. Unfortunately for the Mavs, this “win now” strategy only enhanced the Lakers’ playoff prospects, as Los Angeles secured the #3 seed while Dallas barely made it to the play-in tournament as the #10 seed. Although Davis is available to play, he was quickly plagued by injuries, making it even harder for Mavericks fans to accept giving up a superstar who had just led the franchise to the NBA Finals.
Mavericks fans weren’t likely to find much comfort on Tuesday, as veteran reporter Marc Stein revealed that Nico Harrison held a meeting with a select group of Dallas media members—his first press session since the Doncic trade—without any cameras or recording devices present.
Mavericks execs Nico Harrison and Rick Welts are holding a roundtable this AM with selected Dallas media members.
Cameras/audio recording devices were not permitted for Harrison’s first session with local reporters since the Luka Dončić trade.
More NBA: https://t.co/IIIlAloJCf pic.twitter.com/mHeVLMn8BQ
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) April 15, 2025
For someone aspiring to be accountable as a key decision-maker, conducting a closed-door meeting with selected media is among the worst PR moves one can make. At least it’s not as detrimental as trading away one of the franchise’s best players for an older, less effective, and injured superstar. Harrison has found himself the subject of ridicule in the sports community and has even faced his own fans chanting for his dismissal during nationally televised games. If he was willing to joke in front of the cameras right after the Luka Doncic trade, one wonders why he hesitates now.
