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The Day After: Processing The Luka Dončić Trade
Still no logic, but new info reveals a lot
digginbasketball.substack.com
- Nico Harrison admitted he spoke only with Lakers GM Rob Pelinka and that they kept the discussions secret from everyone else, including Jason Kidd.
- Dončić did not request a trade, nor did he give the Mavericks any signals that he wouldn’t sign his next supermax extension. Harrison confirmed that. In his statement, Dončić said he had hoped to spend his career in Dallas. He was even in the process of investing in a new house in Dallas.
- Team employees typically involved in processing such major decisions had no knowledge of the trade.
- Harrison made it clear that he alone was making the decisions, while Kidd referred to it as "Nico’s vision."
- Both Harrison and Kidd admitted this was a win-now move.
A person close to the situation described this trade as the ultimate Harrison power trip, calling him a power-hungry man. Another observer said Harrison removed anyone who held a different view. I’m not close enough to say there’s no other perspective on this situation. These are the views of people who either left or don’t necessarily align with the current vision.
But what’s clear is that there is a Nico vision, and Dončić might be the last—and by far the biggest—piece that didn’t fit into it.
There is a well-documented list of people close to Dončić who have left or were forced out since Harrison took over. Scott Tomlin, the team’s longtime VP of basketball communications. Casey Smith, the longtime athletic trainer, widely regarded as one of Dončić’s closest allies in the organization. Igor Kokoškov, an assistant coach during Kidd’s first year, was another departure. He coached Dončić to a EuroBasket title in 2017 and served as his pregame workout partner—a role he took over from Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley, another voice Dončić deeply respected. Jalen Brunson, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Boban Marjanović, three players Dončić respected and was close with, all left the Mavericks during Harrison’s tenure. Another person who had a short tenure in Dallas, not necessarily from Dončić's circle but well-respected around the league, was Dennis Lindsey, who left for Detroit in the summer