It’s potential that historical past is not going to keep in mind Patrick Dumont as something aside from because the man who married billionaire Miriam Adelson’s daughter. The Dallas Mavericks’ governor did what sports activities followers usually need out of their house owners: he stayed out the way in which and trusted his executives to make the most effective determination for his group. Sadly for Dumont, he trusted the stupidest man in sports activities, and the blood of the Luka Doncic commerce will stay on his arms for these within the know for so long as his household owns the group.
For everybody else, buying and selling Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers will at all times be Nico Harrison’s fault. Harrison’s extremely daring wager went bust instantly, and now he’s out of a job with a legacy that may by no means be fogotten.
The Mavericks fired Harrison on Tuesday after a 3-8 begin to the season. Doncic is averaging practically 40 factors per sport for the Lakers to start his first full yr with the group, whereas the centerpiece of Dallas’ return within the commerce, Anthony Davis, entered the season 20+ kilos obese and instantly received injured. Add in Kyrie Irving’s torn ACL on the finish of final season, and Dallas in some way utterly ruined an NBA Finals group with one horrible commerce that will probably be remembered endlessly.
Right here’s Dumont’s letter to Mavs followers saying the choice to fireplace Harrison:
The subsequent Mavs GM has an enormous mess to wash up. Dallas has top-of-the-line younger centerpieces within the NBA in Cooper Flagg after it in some way cashed in on a 1.8 % probability to win the 2025 NBA Draft lottery months after the Doncic commerce. Flagg is arguably simply as useful of a long-term time period asset as Doncic, however the Mavericks’ future draft choose stash is already depleted for making an attempt to construct round Luka. Dallas doesn’t management its first spherical draft choose in 2027, 2028, 2029, or 2030.
The Mavs are about to tank onerous, commerce Anthony Davis, and public sale off their different veterans like Daniel Gafford, Klay Thompson, and P.J. Washington. Flagg is the youngest participant within the NBA this season and doesn’t flip 19 years outdated till subsequent month, however the clock is already ticking on saving the subsequent “generational expertise” to land in Dallas.
Why did the Mavericks commerce Luka Doncic?
The Mavericks traded Luka Doncic eight months after main the group to the 2024 NBA Finals as a result of lead government Nico Harrison thought he was obese, uncommitted to skilled habits off the courtroom, and a poor defender. There was in fact some reality to Harrison’s allegations, however that doesn’t imply you commerce a 25-year-old famous person with 5 First-Crew All-NBA picks already to his identify for pennies on the greenback.
Harrison stated “protection wins championships” whereas defending his determination to commerce Doncic for Anthony Davis. In doing so, he shortened the Mavericks’ competition window round a a lot older and rather more injury-prone participant. Dallas’ protection has been superb to start the 2025-26 season, however their offense is among the many worst within the league, and the group has been horrible. Protection *can* win championships, however nice offense normally beats nice protection when it issues most within the NBA.
Even when Harrison’s considerations about Doncic had some validity, they have been at all times correctable issues. The commerce motivated Doncic to point out up in the most effective form of his life when the Lakers started this season because of a newly dedicated weight-reduction plan and coaching regime. Luka mounted his issues, however Dallas by no means had any probability to recreate what made him particular.
With out Doncic, function gamers like Washington, Gafford, and Dereck Vigorous II struggled to search out the identical success. Davis was a top-10 participant within the league on the time of the commerce, however he’s a very completely different participant, and he didn’t make his teammates higher the way in which Luka did.
The Doncic commerce was at all times a catastrophe, and my preliminary D+ grade for Dallas was far too form. The worst case state of affairs has performed out for the Mavericks since: Davis and Irving each received injured, Davis grew to become obese, and the group crumbled. Successful the lottery for Flagg was the most effective case state of affairs for Dallas, however they’re going to wish one other spherical of lottery luck for the 2026 draft if they’ve any hope of constructing a very good group round him any time quickly.
Nico Harrison’s delusion is famous
Because the Mavs launched Flagg following the draft, Harrison gave one of the vital delusional quotes in NBA historical past. He stated followers would now “lastly begin to see the imaginative and prescient.”
Harrison’s imaginative and prescient of the Mavs as a defensive power instantly went bust as soon as Davis and Irving received damage. Touchdown Flagg was pure luck at finest, whereas many followers will declare it was a conspiracy to pacify Mavs followers after their post-trade revolt. Both approach, Harrison didn’t suppose he was going to land Flagg when he made the Luka commerce, and the truth that he instructed as a lot is actually wild conduct.
Dumont had the authority to dam the Doncic commerce and hearth Nico on the spot for suggesting it. That’s what he ought to have completed, however as an alternative Dumont — who was shocked that followers have been booing him after the commerce — trusted his basketball man.
The Doncic commerce will probably be remembered as basketball’s model of the Purple Sox buying and selling Babe Ruth to the Yankees. It was utterly indefensible on the time and aged even worse.
Sports activities followers will in all probability be speaking concerning the Doncic commerce 100 years from now the identical approach the Babe Ruth commerce nonetheless will get introduced up. Like Ruth, Doncic was 25 years outdated on the time of the commerce. Time will inform if the Lakers can win a championship with Luka, however the legacy of the commerce is the way it devastated the Mavericks in each approach potential.
Nico Harrison has been fired, however the legacy is endlessly. It’s going to survive lengthy in any case of us are gone.
