Nico Harrison's reason for Luka Doncic trade makes no sense for obvious reason

There's no doubt that the NBA's fans, players, and everybody associated was blindsided when the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers made the trade involving Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis. Shock waves are still going around the NBA world and fans can't believe it as Nico Harrison went to the Lakers and presented them with this deal.

Even with being traded, Doncic will still go down as one of the greatest Mavericks of all time. While for Anthony Davis with the Lakers, it could be difficult with his injury history. Fans are not getting over the fact that the Mavericks would trade their franchise player after being on the team since 2018.

Doncic was supposed to be the guy with Dirk Nowitzki aging, now he's gone. Doncic made his mark immediately in Nowitzki's final season when he won the 2019 Rookie of the Year. Even though the Mavericks and Harrison may have traded Doncic, they did trade him for an obvious reason, but it still doesn't quite make much sense.

Dallas' return in the Doncic trade was absolutely horrible

After the 2025-26 season, Doncic has a player option to opt out of his contract, but he was due one of the biggest contract extensions in league history this summer, and Dallas held all of the cards to make him a Maverick for life. Dallas feared giving him this supermax extension, and that is a major red flag because he more than deserved it.

Now that the Mavericks don't have to worry about paying Doncic, they can decide what other players they want to give a contract. Kyrie Irving has the player option after this season and can opt out. The Mavericks can now put money on the side if they want to sign Irving to a new contract if he opts out.

Another issue for Doncic is his conditioning. The Mavericks got tired of Doncic's conditioning and weight problems. Doncic at one point was pushing 270 pounds, according to recent reports. For a player who has to handle the ball as much as he does and considering his recent injuries, that was starting to become a major risk.

While Dallas' fear about giving Doncic the massive extension and his conditioning concerns are valid, that is still not enough to trade him. You don't trade a generational superstar, especially for the return they got.

Dallas only got one first-round pick, Davis, and Christie, for Doncic, and that is mind-boggling. This trade makes no sense, and giving up on Doncic for an aging star like Davis rather than shopping him and searching for the best deal possible is an awful decision by Harrison and the Mavericks.

Maverick fans can be excited to get Davis, but cautious. Davis has a long injury history which can scare the Mavericks. But, Davis was the second-best player on the Lakers and Harrison is excited about the defense that he will bring. Now, Irving has a talented big man who can dominate the paint and play stellar defense. Davis also begins a dominant trio at the center with Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford.

This season, Davis has been dominant by averaging 25.7 points per game and 11.9 rebounds per game. Davis has been one of the best defenders in the NBA, now the Mavericks get a big man who can guard the paint and block shots. Davis has led the NBA in blocks three times and is averaging 2.1 blocks per game this season.

There's no doubt that Maverick fans will not get over Doncic being traded and think it's one of the worst trades ever. However, one thing that may be important that comes out of the deal is the Lakers' 2029 first-round draft pick.

In 2029, it's no guarantee that LeBron James will be in the NBA or Doncic will be the same type of player. If the Lakers struggle, the pick in 2029 could be valuable down the road in four years for the Mavericks.