Mavs’ Harrison: ‘​We’re ​going ​to ​be ​competing ​for ​a ​championship’

The Dallas Mavericks season came to an end on Friday night when they fell to the Memphis Grizzlies in the Play-In Tournament.

On Monday, Mavericks GM Nico Harrison addressed the media. Harrison, who made the controversial decision to move five-time All-Star Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a pick before the trade deadline, has been vilified by the fans and media in Dallas.

In an interesting admission, Harrison acknowledged Monday that he did not realize how important Doncic was to the fan base.

“I knew Luka was important to the fan base,” Harrison said. “I didn’t quite know it to what level.”

After the retirement of Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavs needed and had a star in Doncic to make the team relevant in a football town like Dallas. Ultimately, the Mavs, who made it to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011 last season, became a legitimate free-agent destination for players. 

Despite the controversial trade, Harrison is unwavering in his belief in the team’s potential. He is confident that the Mavericks, who battled injuries this season, will rise as a championship-caliber team next season.

Harrison was asked why he should not be fired after the trade of Doncic, and he said the following:

“I ​think ​I’ve ​done ​a ​really ​good ​job ​here, ​​and ​I ​don’t ​think ​I ​can ​be ​judged ​by ​the ​injuries ​this ​year,” he said. ​”You ​have ​to ​judge ​from ​totality, ​from ​beginning to ​end, and ​so, ​I ​think ​I ​have ​a ​really ​good ​working ​relationship ​with (Mavs owner)​Patrick(Dumont). ​I ​think ​you ​add ​in ​(Mavs CEO)Rick(Welts), ​the ​leadership ​that ​we ​have ​​is ​really ​elite. ​You’ll ​see ​next ​year ​when ​our ​team ​comes ​back, ​we’re ​going ​to ​be ​competing ​for ​a ​championship.”

It’s hard to justify the trade of Doncic, but in fairness to Harrison, who insists defense wins championships, we’ll have to wait and see.