Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison is not the most popular guy in the NBA, to say the least. Since trading superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in February, Harrison has been criticized and questioned at every turn, and that did not stop at Tuesday's media session.

Harrison, who has been credited with bringing the idea of trading to Doncic to new owner Patrick Dumont, answered questions from select Dallas-based media members Tuesday. And Tim McMahon, an ESPN reporter who has himself been criticized for his interactions and comments about Doncic in the past, held Harrison's proverbial feet to the fire during questioning.

McMahon asked Harrison, who had previously said the team is in a three-to-four-year championship window, why he traded many of the team's first-round draft picks after the window would seemingly be closed.

“Can you repeat that?” Harrison said in response.

McMahon then tried again.

“'27 to '30, you're out on your first-round capital. Your own words, you created a three to four-year time frame,” McMahon said. “When the credit card bill comes due, that time frame is over. How is that in the best interest of long-term interests of the franchise? And again, '27 to '30, you're out of your capital, you build a Finals team doing it, and you traded the guy who led that Finals team. How is that in the long-term best interest when he's, at the time, a 25-year-old, generational talent who could have a 10-12-year runway. He's one of the best players that we've seen.”

Harrison responded as he did with most other questions during the media session, emphasizing the importance of defense.

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“I keep saying the same thing, but defense wins championships,” Harrison said. “I believe that we have a championship caliber team, not only for now, but also for the future.

“Obviously, the future will hold if I'm right or wrong, and ultimately, we're going to be held to the standard of wins and losses, and every executive in every field is going to be held to that same standard.”

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McMahon continued with the line of questioning, asking Harrison how trading away first-round draft picks in 2028, 2029, and 2030 “made sense.” Harrison reasserted that he believes in the effectiveness of the trade and that “once we win, then that will change your mind.”

Unfortunately for Nico Harrison, winning will be even harder as time goes on. Kyrie Irving, Doncic's co-star during the 2024 NBA Finals team, tore his ACL in March, which likely will keep him out of action for most of next season. Anthony Davis, the main piece in exchange for Doncic, has also dealt with various injuries throughout his career, calling into question whether he will be able to remain healthy to contribute to the Mavericks' championship aspirations over the next few years.

The Mavericks are in Sacramento tonight for a Play-In game vs. the Kings. If Dallas wins, they will face the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday. If they lose either tonight or Friday, their season will be over.