Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison publicly backed the controversial Luka Doncic trade during a private roundtable with local media on Tuesday.
Harrison, speaking on the eve of the Mavericks’ Play-In elimination game against the Sacramento Kings, said the decision to move the All-NBA guard was made with the franchise’s long-term success in mind.
“There’s no regrets,” Harrison said, as reported by CBS News Texas, while emphasizing that building a championship team starts with defense.
The session, which barred cameras and recording devices, marked Harrison’s first on-the-record appearance with local reporters since the February trade that sent Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.
NBA insider Marc Stein noted that the event was invite-only and not open to the full Dallas media, sparking criticism about transparency.
During the roundtable, Harrison reiterated that prioritizing defense drove the front office’s decision, according to The Athletic’s Tim Cato.
The Mavericks sent Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris to the Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick, while also facilitating a separate second-rounder swap with Utah.
Since the trade, Doncic has averaged 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.5 assists in 35.1 minutes per game for Los Angeles, helping the team secure a top-three seed in the Western Conference.
Dallas, meanwhile, enters the Play-In Tournament as the No. 10 seed with a 39-43 record, needing two consecutive road wins to reach the playoffs.
The move was widely debated at the time due to Doncic’s franchise cornerstone status and MVP-caliber production, but the Mavericks’ front office has maintained that the deal fits their long-term vision.
A win would move Dallas into a final Play-In round against the loser of the Warriors-Grizzlies matchup, while a loss would officially end their 2024–25 season.
Despite public backlash, Harrison stood firm on the franchise’s path forward, saying, “Defense wins championships,” in response to repeated questions about the deal’s timing and implications.
