CLEVELAND — Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison said he “understands the magnitude” of the mega-trade he just pulled Sunday, sending Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, but he defended the move by insisting it improved his team’s culture.
“It’s important to know that (Dallas coach Jason) Kidd and I are aligned and we talk about archetypes and we talk about the culture we want to create,” Harrison said Sunday, seated next to Kidd before the Mavericks’ game in Cleveland.
“There are levels to it, and there are people that fit the culture, and there are people that come in and add to the culture,” Harrison continued. “Those are two distinct things and I believe the people that are coming in are adding to the culture.”
Kidd, who said he found out about the trade “at the 11th hour” and didn’t go to bed Saturday night, added: “When you look at the vision of the team and what Nico wants to do, I truly support that, and truly believe that the players that we are getting are the ones who can help us achieve that, and that’s to win a championship.”
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Late Saturday, Dallas traded Dončić, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris to the Lakers for Davis, Max Christie, and Los Angeles’ 2029 first-round pick. As part of the trade, the Utah Jazz received Jalen Hood-Schifino and 2025 second-round picks from the LA Clippers and Mavericks.
Dončić, 25, the third overall pick of the 2018 draft, is a five-time All-Star averaging 28.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists over his seven seasons. He spearheaded the Mavs’ run to the NBA Finals last year, which ended in a five-game loss to the Boston Celtics, and he was eligible to sign a five-year, $345 million contract extension with the Mavericks this summer.
In an interview overnight with the Dallas Morning News, Harrison referenced Dončić’s contract situation as a reason to move on from him now, and he echoed the sentiments in his session with reporters in Cleveland. He said there were some “unique things” about Dončić’s contract, referenced rival clubs preparing to sign him as a free agent (in 2026, if Dončić’never signed the supermax), and said “we feel like we got out in front of what could have been a tumultuous year.”
But at the same time, Harrison said he had been given no indication Dončić would refuse to sign such a lucrative contract extension.
“Nothing verbally that would leave me to believe that,” Harrison said. “It’s a matter of, you know, once you put that out there, they accept or they don’t. At that point, you’re kind of on the clock.”
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Dončić has played in just 22 games this season. He was averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists in those contests, but hasn’t competed since sustaining a left calf strain on Christmas. The Mavericks entered play Sunday 26-23 and in eighth place in a crowded Western Conference.
Davis, who is currently out with an abdominal strain, is 32. He’s a 10-time All-Star and perennial candidate for Defensive Player of the Year, while also averaging nearly 26 points and 12 rebounds this season.
“Defense wins championships and A.D. is the one that we truly believe fits with (Dereck) Lively, and (Daniel) Gafford and P.J. (Washington),” Kidd said. And so when you look at going forward we’re looking at the window to win now.”
Harrison said the Lakers were the only team the Mavericks held trade talks with involving Dončić. The Mavericks coveted Davis. Harrison had a relationship with Davis dating back to his days as a Nike executive. Kidd was an assistant coach with the Lakers when they won the championship in 2020.
Harrison and Lakers vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka had a series of “intense conversations” over the course of several weeks.
“It started out as a coffee of, ‘Hey would you ever?’” Harrison said. “(I said), ‘’I don’t know. Would I?’ We kept it between us. We had to. We had to keep it tight.”
Harrison said Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont “laughed” when he first brought up the possibility of trading Dončić.
“He’s the ultimate decision maker,” Harrison said. “But he entrusts J-Kidd and I to lead this team. He puts the trust into us. You obviously have to be judged on the performance that you’ve done as a leader. If at some point it doesn’t work out, then I’ll be judged for that.”
Davis has two more years on his contract after this season. He is owed $54 million in 2025-26 and $58.5 million in 2026-27. He holds a $62.8 million player option in 2027-28. Harrison said he believes Davis fits into the team’s long-term plans.
“If you pair him with Kyrie and the rest of the guys, he fits with our time frame to win now and in the future,” Harrison said. “The future to me is three, four years from now. Ten years from now, I don’t know. They’ll probably bury me and J(ason Kidd) by then. Or we bury ourselves.”
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(Photo: Richard Rodriguez / Getty Images)
