Ex-Laker backs Nico Harrison on controversial element of Mavericks' Luka Doncic trade

The negative consequences of the Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic trade continue to rain down on the organization, as a large majority of fans have become extremely unengaged. The Doncic trade, combined with the worst injury luck of all time has put the Mavs in an insufferable position, but there is still a glimmer of hope.

Anthony Davis returned to the lineup on Monday night against the Brooklyn Nets, and Dallas' other bigs, Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford, have also been trending in the right direction. The team may get healthy enough in time to make the Play-In Tournament, but even once they get there, they don't have much of a shot to make noise in the playoffs without Kyrie Irving, as he is out for the season with a torn ACL.

Nico Harrison's plan of winning now without Doncic and with Davis at the helm couldn't be going any worse, but one former Los Angeles Lakers center thinks Harrison's controversial vision of having more promise right now with Davis could come to fruition next season.

Boozer defends boldest gamble of Mavericks' Doncic-Davis trade

Carlos Boozer was on ESPN's "Get Up" earlier this week, and he spoke on the state of the Mavs moving forward.

"Nico did a good job of putting a really good team together for now," Boozer said. "So for next year, they are going to be a contender if they’re healthy."

Mavericks fans got a glimpse of how deadly Dallas can be when they're fully healthy in Davis's debut when they dominated the Houston Rockets, but that dominance may not be there to start next season unless they make some sort of move to get Davis some help. Irving won't be back for months after the season begins, and while Boozer is right about the Mavs being a contender if they're fully healthy, getting to that point will be a huge challenge.

Not to mention, the Mavericks were already contenders last season when they reached the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011 with Doncic leading the way, and repeating this success is going to be an uphill battle that may end up turning into a disaster. You almost never see a team punt on their superstar right after reaching the Finals, but that's the decision that Harrison made as he believed the Mavericks are better built now and into the future.

That is truly the most dumbfounding part about this trade, as the Mavericks were supposed to contend this season. They looked like one of the scariest teams in the NBA when they were fully healthy, and their roster got better when compared to the roster that made the Finals. With Doncic driving the ship, the team was going to be in Finals conversations for years to come considering he is only 26 years old, but that can't be said anymore.

Dallas' future is undoubtedly the biggest question mark of the trade, as their draft capital is limited and their superstars are aging, and the only way for Harrison to justify this trade is likely by winning a title within the next few years. Boozer seems to think they can do it, and next season is going to be one of the most pivotal years in team history.

If the Mavericks succeed and contend for a title like Boozer predicted, then maybe fans will believe in Harrison's bold idea of thinking they have a great shot at winning a title within the next few years. If not, then he'll be under even more fire, and the anger around the Mavericks for making this controversial trade will be even worse.