NBA insider Shams Charania states that embattled general manager Nico Harrison was not behind the unpopular Dallas Mavericks’ invite-only roundtable media session. In fact, he claims owner Patrick Dumont forced him into it. “This was not his idea,” Charania added.
It’s a strange look either way. Not allowing cameras or all media into the event makes it seem like they have something to hide. This doesn’t help rebuild fractured trust between the organization and its fanbase.
Only the Mavericks could pull this off after impressively dispatching the Sacramento Kings in the play-in game to keep their season alive. Instead, the conversation is once again focused on the clear inner turmoil behind the scenes in Dallas. One thing Harrison has yet to do is lay out a clear vision for the franchise and a rational explanation for trading Luka Dončić.
‘This Was Not His Idea’ – Reactions to Nico Harrison’s Unpopular Media Appearance
ESPN analyst Tim MacMahon was less than impressed with Harrison’s behind-closed-doors media session.
“If the point was to soothe an outraged fan base, then this was an epic failure.”
Stephen A. Smith, meanwhile, described Dumont forcing this closed-door meeting as “one of the dumbest things I’ve heard a franchise suggest.”
Smith was also unimpressed with Harrison’s tone-deaf quote: “That’s a championship-caliber team, you guys were able to see it for two and a half quarters.”
Championing two quarters wasn’t the wisest comment from their under-fire GM. Still, there’s no question that if Dallas can get Kyrie Irving back healthy and keep Anthony Davis on the court alongside Klay Thompson and Daniel Gafford, there are building blocks in place to be a strong team in the Western Conference in 2026.
As for this season, the Mavericks are still alive and move on to face the Memphis Grizzlies in the next play-in round to determine the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.
Harrison repeated the same line multiple times — “Defense wins championships.”
That line has to be called out because it’s a false equivalency. First, it sounds like he’s trying to convince himself. More importantly, it ignores the fact that he could have simply acquired defenders to play alongside Dončić. It doesn’t have to be one or the other, especially since Dončić led the team to an NBA Finals appearance in 2024.
The reality is that Harrison is grossly undervaluing what Dončić meant to the franchise. And in acquiring Davis, he brought in someone six years older who has been regularly injured. In fact, Davis has only suited up for nine regular-season games since the trade.
This is all extremely confusing. The Mavericks don’t present themselves as a united front, raising questions about whether ownership forced the trade through. As a franchise, they need to do a better job of showing unity. Most importantly, Dallas needs to rebuild its fans’ trust. At the very least, future media sessions should include cameras.