On Monday, the Dallas Mavericks had their end-of-season press conference after they failed to secure a playoff spot. General manager Nico Harrison was alone in front of the media and addressed the concerns the organization had throughout the 2024-25 NBA season. As expected, most of the questions were related to Harrison’s blockbuster trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The answers that the executive had weren’t well-received by the fans. One former player who revealed their thoughts on how Harrison handled the presser expressed that he doesn’t want another press conference from him. Former NBA star Charles Barkley did not hold back in suggesting that the front office representative shouldn’t talk to the media anymore.
“Nico Harrison, I consider you a friend of mine,” Barkley started. “I wish you nothing but the best, I think you did a good job last year with the Mavs, and obviously whatever happened this year didn’t work out.
“Man, don’t do no more press conferences. I don’t even know what you’re doing. I really don’t. I got sympathy and love for you, but I have zero idea what you’re trying to do. This war is over, brother. You go take the L. I hope you keep your job. I hope that team get healthy, but don’t do any more interviews. Please, don’t.”
The Hall of Famer also expressed frustration when Harrison held a closed-door meeting with select media members. Barkley said the Dallas Mavericks’ general manager is taking all the bullets for the trade, which the former Phoenix Suns star said he deserves.
His co-hosts Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith weighed in on the discussion. Both former NBA players said that Harrison should focus on doing his job.
Harrison wasn’t aware how much the Dallas Mavericks fans love Doncic
During the presser, the Dallas Mavericks executive was asked if he knew how the fans would react when they traded for Doncic. According to Harrison, he had an idea that the fans love the Slovenian star. However, he was clueless as to what the level of adoration the Mavs fans had for the five-time All-Star.
“I did know that Luka was important to the fan base,” Harrison said. “I didn’t quite know it to what level.”
Additionally, a report from Tim Cato was posted on Monday. According to Cato’s report, Patrick Dumont, the majority owner, was reportedly frustrated with Harrison.
“Most notably, team and league sources say, Dumont has had frustration with Harrison not warning him — or, perhaps even more damningly, being unaware — of the fandom’s outrage following the trade,” Cato wrote.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
