Luka Doncic narrowly avoids dangerous downfall predicted by Nico Harrison

Nico Harrison made it clear from the 11th hour on the first night of February that he didn't want to deal with Luka Doncic anymore. Dallas Mavericks fans were immediately outraged and protested for Harrison to be fired for several weeks.

The Doncic trade was listed by many as the worst trade of all time, and Jason Kidd didn't do himself any favors by thinking it was cool that the Doncic trade was in the same conversation as the Babe Ruth trade, sarcastic or not. Harrison's reason for trading Doncic included his diet and how it would bleed into his play on the court and eventually get him injured. Doncic just narrowly avoided this during a game with Latvia when he suffered a right knee contusion.

Doncic's knee injury ultimately ended up not being too serious, as he is available to play tonight against Great Britain, but him getting injured this early into EuroBasket was exactly what Harrison was afraid of. He feared that Doncic's body would break down, and even though his knee contusion was small, these small injuries can sometimes turn into something much more (as Mavericks fans know well).

Luka Doncic's knee injury could've been much worse

This would've made Harrison's wish come true, as he made it crystal clear that he didn't see longevity with Doncic, hence the diabolical trade. The Mavs have a new future to look forward to with Cooper Flagg, but if Doncic were down for a considerable amount of time, this would've been the perfect way for Harrison to respond to his haters.

Doncic doesn't have many haters on his radar, but if he does, he's already shown his haters that he's up to speed with his weight and dedication to conditioning. His transformation has already gone mainstream, to magazines, interviews, and even a tour around the United States. This has been his chance to stick it to the face of the Mavs organization. Doncic's transformation was going to happen at some point, and if Harrison simply waited a week for him to return to injury to return to stardom, then maybe this trade doesn't happen anyway.

The fact is: Harrison didn't think the Mavs would win a championship with Doncic. Los Angeles Lakers GM Rob Pelinka fleeced Harrison in the trade, as Dallas ultimately should've gotten many more assets.

Mavs fans were always rolling their eyes when Doncic would play for Slovenia in the summer. He simply played too much basketball after last season, and his body broke down in ways we've never seen it break down before. During the 2024 NBA Finals, the Slovenian superstar had to take pain-killing injections for his thoracic contusion. He hadn't suffered a super serious injury during his Mavs tenure, but his last calf injury might've been the final straw with Harrison, anyway.

Either way, this is great news for Mavs fans who don't enjoy Harrison's company. He traded Doncic out of the blue, and the memory of that will haunt the city of Dallas forever. Not allowing him to get a win out of saying 'I told you so' for Doncic getting seriously injured is something Mavs fans can all get behind. Even though Doncic is now a Lakers superstar, fans will always root for him no matter where he goes.

The memories of Doncic will live on in Mavericks lore for a long time, but Flagg's rise will happen quickly to the point that Doncic could somewhat become a distant memory.