In what has been considered one of the worst trades in modern NBA history, the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for a package built around Anthony Davis and a future first-round pick.
Unfortunately, an in-his-prime MVP candidate who just led the team to its first NBA Finals in over a decade, while embracing a mid-level-market basketball team, being shipped out didn’t sit right with fans. As a result, general manager Nico Harrison was put through the grinder, but he’s hoping for a more positive outlook now.
Nico Harrison Believes Cooper Flagg Can Remove Luka Dončić Stench
At the time of the trade, Dončić had been out for close to a month with a calf strain. Regardless, he had already compiled one of the most impressive résumés to start an NBA career, without counting his legendary run with Real Madrid.
With more first-team All-NBAs than Stephen Curry, a scoring title, and bringing immense team success to Dallas, Dončić was a fan favorite in every sense of the word. Which is why trading him, while he was still 25 years old (now 26), was a gross oversight.
Understandably, Harrison became public enemy No. 1 in Mavericks circles, with “Fire Nico” chants ringing out at not just Mavs games but events everywhere. But, by a stroke of luck, Dallas walked away with the first overall pick — with a potentially generational player in the waiting.
They drafted Cooper Flagg at the top of the NBA Draft, and Harrison is ready to run a victory lap. At the press conference, Joey Mistretta of Clutch Points shared the interaction when a reporter asked the GM about fan frustrations subsiding after adding Flagg.
“I’m hoping so. I’m assuming so, a little bit, maybe,” Harrison said.
However, adding Flagg was not in Harrison’s plans, no matter how it might be spun. Right after the trade, the messaging from Dallas was clear.
They wanted more defense on the roster, citing the age-old mantra of “defense wins championships.” Additionally, questions about the Slovenian superstar’s commitment and fitness were also brought up, with injuries being cited as a major concern.
Nico Harrison was asked if he believes drafting Cooper Flagg will lessen the fans’ frustration toward him: “I’m hoping so. I’m assuming so a little bit, maybe.”#MFFL pic.twitter.com/tlWOIug6lF
— Joey Mistretta (@JoeyMistretta_) June 26, 2025
Adding a player like Davis makes sense when addressing defense, but as far as health is concerned, the move raises eyebrows. Davis has cleared the 60-game mark twice in the last seven seasons and the 65-game award-eligibility mark once. Moreover, the selling point for the trade was to compete for a title immediately.
Unfortunately, the “injury concerns” that were used as a shield against Dončić came back in full force with Kyrie Irving and Davis both going down with injuries, partly due to an exaggerated effort to make the postseason, stretching the two injury-prone stars too thin.
Dallas fell to the first overall pick through sheer dumb luck. They treated the 2024-25 season as a do-or-die campaign after the Dončić trade and played their roster as such. In the end, injuries and a loss in the play-in made their lottery hopes not just a reality but a success.
