Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison held a season-ending press conference on Monday. In another attempt to smooth things over after trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers and missing out on the NBA Playoffs, everything has seemingly remained a giant mess. NBA analyst Charles Barkley blasted Harrison for holding yet another press conference amid the Doncic saga.

During a segment on TNT, the Hall of Fame power forward sent a direct message to Harrison. Barkley called the Mavericks' general manager his “friend” and warned him to no longer conduct any press conferences for the time being. Charles Barkley's message is seemingly advice for Harrison, as he said more positive things in his message than not.

“I consider you a friend of mine… don't do any more press conferences. I don't even know what you're doing. I really don't. This war is over, brother. You taking the L.”

Related Dallas Mavericks NewsArticle continues below
Dallas Mavericks forward Naji Marshall (13) exits the game while holding his shoulder during the second quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center.
Naji Marshall’s ‘hurt’ reaction to Luka Doncic-Mavericks trade
Cooper Flagg (51) participates in the 2025 NBA Draft Combine at Wintrust Arena.
Cooper Flagg draws brutally honest review from Mavericks forward

Charles Barkley sounds like a man offering the best advice possible to a friend. The blowback from the trade may not have been something the controlling owners of the Mavericks saw coming. That might be why there have been so many press conferences and discussions about the deal since the trade deadline.

However, everything Nico Harrison has said after the trade has raised everyone's eyebrows. He continuously stated that “defense wins championships” as one of his reasons for trading the 26-year-old phenom to Los Angeles during his private roundtable meeting with the media. Additionally, the Mavericks' general manager somehow didn't realize how much Doncic meant to the fanbase before finalizing the trade.

It also doesn't help that the Lakers ended up being the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference while the Mavericks missed out on the postseason altogether. Dallas had a chance to make the playoffs but failed to win its play-in tournament game against the Memphis Grizzlies, as they lost the contest 120-106.

Dallas has a busy offseason ahead. Kyrie Irving has a player option and could opt to leave the Mavericks altogether and enter free agency. Regardless, Harrison and the organization must find a way to win the fan base over again, and only winning can do that.