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While many fans and media members have criticized Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison for trading Luka Doncic for anyone or anything, former Golden State Warriors executive Bob Myers thinks that is not the real error Harrison made in the unpopular deal.
Myers, who served as the Warriors' GM from 2012-2023 and president from 2016-2023, said Harrison's relatively limited “avenues” were why some were so upset with the Doncic trade.
“I think where you get stuck and where people have been critical,” Myers said on ‘SportsCenter' with Scott Van Pelt, “is not the fact that you traded Luka Doncic. By the way, people are critical of that by itself, but if you look at the return, that’s where people really get upset and a lot of the Mavs fans have a hard time, because if I’m going to trade away a player that good and in his prime, which again, is very, very rare, I’m going to give myself an avenue to win now, which I do think they have an avenue to win now with Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis — there is an avenue. What they didn’t do is give themselves an avenue via multiple first-round picks, things like that, for the future.”
Myers's argument is very close to the one that former Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban made in regards to the trade. Cuban, who hired Nico Harrison and was heavily involved in team operations from his purchase of the team in 2000 until shortly after selling the team to Patrick Dumont in December 2023, said that while Davis is a superstar-level player, the return lacked the multiple first-round draft picks that have seemingly become commonplace in many blockbuster NBA trades.
The Doncic trade, which saw the Mavericks ship the Slovenian superstar, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris to the Los Angeles Lakers, netted Dallas Davis, Max Christie, the Lakers' 2029 first-round pick, and $55,000 in cash from the Utah Jazz.
In comparison, the Phoenix Suns acquired Kevin Durant (and T.J. Warren) before the 2023 trade deadline for Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, four first-round picks, and another first-round pick swap. Although the Suns' deal ultimately proved to be ineffective — Phoenix missed the playoffs this year and have won just one postseason series in three trips with Durant — the Nets' return has helped set themselves up for a rebuild.
After beating the Sacramento Kings yesterday, the Mavericks will play in Memphis against the Grizzlies for a chance to earn the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference and play the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the playoffs.
