On Tuesday, Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison had the gall to hold a press conference–albeit with no cameras allowed–for some members of the local media. Harrison has quickly become one of the most infamous figures in professional sports history due to his recent trade of franchise centerpiece Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Several bizarre quotes came out of Harrison's press conference, including his repeated use of the phrase “defense wins championships” as a rationale for trading his franchise cornerstone, per Tim Cato of All City.

Needless to say, fans on X, formerly Twitter, are not going to be forgiving the general manager anytime soon.

“Couldn’t even get 24 hours of just enjoying Paige Bueckers in Dallas before Nico Harrison did something stupid,” wrote one fan, noting the recent WNBA Draft.

“We have teenage boys running the Mavs,” wrote another.

Another fan made a bold prediction for what might happen if Doncic ends up winning a championship with his new team.

“Luka wins a championship with the Lakers and LeBron, Nico Harrison losing his job,” they speculated.

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A disastrous season for the Mavericks

Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison walks off the court before the game between the Dallas and the Sacramento Kings at the American Airlines Center.
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Perhaps no team in the history of organized sports has descended the ranks of their respective league as quickly and shockingly as the Dallas Mavericks did this season.

Ten months ago, the Mavericks nearly summited the NBA world, winning the Western Conference and reaching the Finals before ultimately bowing out to the Boston Celtics in five games.

Fast forward to the present day, and the Mavericks' future prospects are tied to the unstable health of both Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving, each of whom is on the wrong side of 30 years old. Even if those two can stay on the court next year, it likely isn't enough to get the Mavericks on the level of teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder, or even Doncic's new team the Lakers.

It's clear that no matter what Nico Harrison said or did in the aftermath of the trade, it wasn't going to ease tensions with the Mavericks' fanbase anytime soon. However, not allowing cameras and also declining to offer much in the way of thoughtful basketball rationale for the deal probably won't help him repair his image.