Last June, The Athletic published a juicy story detailing behind-the-scenes dysfunction within the Dallas Mavericks organization. One highlight of the article was the alleged tension and power struggle between franchise cornerstone Luka Doncic, ex-general manager Donnie Nelson, and gambler-turned-data guru Haralabos Voulgaris, who had become a de facto “shadow GM” after being hired by Mark Cuban in 2018.

The fallout was swift and substantial. Two days after Tim Cato and Sam Amick's story was published, Nelson stepped down. He had been with the franchise for 24 years, and his father, Don Nelson, is one of the most successful coaches in Mavs history.

One day later, long-time head coach Rick Carlisle resigned. The Mavs hired Jason Kidd in his stead, while Carlisle returned to the Indiana Pacers sideline.

In September, Nelson's successor, Nico Harrison, opted not to retain Voulgaris as “director of quantitative research and development.”

Now, Voulgaris is speaking out about his departure, and his comments are not out of line with his reputation and portrayal in Cato and Amick's piece as somebody who can come off as arrogant and may not be the best people-person.

Here is a sampling of his  conversation with Pablo Torre on the ESPN Daily podcast:

On getting labeled as a “shadow GM”:

“Changing the organizational structure of the Dallas Mavericks was never something I was interested in unless I was going to be the guy in charge, and I wasn’t even sure. I never actually wanted to be the guy in charge until it became clear that the guy in charge didn’t want me around.”

On his reported conflict with Luka Doncic, who, according to The Athletic, expressed a dislike for Voulgaris and the fact that he had become a powerful decision-maker in Dallas.

“If I’m distracting that f*cking guy, I don’t need to be around. Whatever the case may be, no matter how I see it, it doesn’t matter at the end of the day. He is the fulcrum of the team. So I was like, ‘Cool.’”

On ruffling feathers and his correspondence with Cuban:

“Looking back on it, it was kind of like I was this missile to go in there and create the change and unlock some boulders that couldn’t be moved before.”

“I sent [Cuban] an email where I was like, ‘Hey, look, I’m just trying to fit in. I appreciate the opportunity. I don’t want to ruffle any feathers.' “And he was very clear, like, ‘No, I don’t want you to fit in. We’re deficient in areas that you’re good at. If it’s hard, hard conversations have to be had.”

Voulgaris also said that while his relationship with Nelson was “cordial”, he felt Nelson was “threatened by me.” He called the Mavs front office a “very gossipy workplace … like a sewing circle,” and admitted to not having many personal relationships.

Finally, he claimed that he was “trying to find a way out of this job to begin with.”

Well, he pulled it off.