A three-hour drive away, a group of Dallas media traveled to see the Oklahoma City Thunder humiliate the Los Angeles Lakers in a 121-92 win. The NBA schedule-makers unintentionally did them a huge favor, considering how the last couple of days have played out.
The Dallas Mavericks made the shocking decision to fire GM Nico Harrison on Tuesday. You might think the shocking part is the dismissal in itself, but that felt inevitable. Dallas home games have been taken over with ‘Fire Nico!’ chants. A poor 3-9 start has them near the bottom of the standings.
Harrison never had the chance to see his vision of Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis. Both have dealt with injuries since they arrived in Dallas. But the most shocking part is the timing. The Mavericks finally tapped out. A little weird to do it now, but this was always going to eventually happen.
Of course, Harrison was the one who made the shocking decision to trade Luka Doncic at last season’s trade deadline. He was shipped to the Los Angeles Lakers. It’s one of the most seismic transactions in NBA history.
After Doncic was limited to 19 points on 7-of-20 shooting, he was asked about Harrison’s firing. He felt for the Mavericks, where he spent the first seven seasons of his career. He led them to the 2024 NBA Finals and was a perennial MVP candidate.
“The city of Dallas, the fans, players. They all have a special place in my in my heart,” Doncic said. “I thought I was going to stay there forever, but I didn’t. They’re always a special place to. I can always call it home. Right now, my focus is on the Lakers. I’m trying to move on. But obviously, always there’s going to be a part of me there.”
When asked if he’d consider a return to the Mavericks, Doncic didn’t sound too excited over the daring idea. He recently signed a three-year, $161.4 million contract extension this past offseason. That’ll keep him on the Lakers through the 2028-29 season
“Right now I’m just focused on the Lakers,” Doncic said. “No further comment.”
Considering how most believe Harrison’s departure started with the shocking Doncic trade, the latter was always going to be asked his thoughts on the firing. It sounds like he’s moved on with his life. Now, he’s focused on how the Lakers can close the talent gap between themselves and the Thunder that was painfully exposed.
