Nico Harrison will either go down in history as the dumbest GM ever, or the smartest after trading away Luka Doncic.
He addressed the media and explained his thinking behind trading Doncic for Lakers star Anthony Davis.
Its 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.
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.
Harrison didnt like the implication from the media that he was suggesting Luka didnt fit the culture at the Mavs.
Listen, one thing about me, Im not going to talk bad about any players, Harrison said. I mean, thats not going to do us or me any good. I just say theres levels to it. Theres people that fit the culture and theres people that come in and add to the culture. And those are two distinct things. And I believe the people that were coming in are adding to the culture.
He added,Well, lets be clear: Im the one making the decision and [Kidd]s supportive of it, so its me. I dont do anything thats scary. I think everything that we do, we put a lot of work into it, we study it and we re-study it and we go back. I understand the magnitude of it.
So, the easiest thing for me to do is do nothing, and everyone would praise me for doing nothing. But we really believe in it and time will tell if Im right.
Harrison told reporters on Sunday that he only spoke to the Lakers and didnt shopped Luka to any other teams, despite the reports he did.
He also added that Doncic never indicated that he wanted out or wouldnt sign an extension moving forward.
Harrison said the trade was made to make our team better, but he also mentioned Doncics contract as a factor.
Doncics conditioning was another major factor in the teams decision to approach the Lakers about a trade, ESPN reports.
Dallas head coach Jason Kidd, coached Davis as a Lakers assistant on the 2019-20 title team and said he wasnt aware of the trade until the eleventh hour.
It is a little shocking, but in the sense, we have to push forward. As an organization, as a team, we have a game to play, and we have to be pros about it. But we understand what Luka has meant to the Mavericks, and we wish him and his family the best in L.A. Also, Maxi and [Morris]. But we have to push forward, and we believe we have a team to do that.
READ MORE: Luka Doncic Releases Statement Following His Trade to Los Angeles
