NBA legend defends Nico Harrison with shocking take on Mavericks' Luka Doncic trade

Nico Harrison and the Dallas Mavericks shocked the world when they traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. Mavs fans, confused and heartbroken, struggled to grasp why the franchise would trade the face of the franchise for a package simply worth less than Doncic's present or future value. Fans across the league didn't seem to buy Harrison's stated reasons for the trade: Doncic's effort, conditioning, and defensive production.

In their pain, fans drafted far-fetched conspiracy theories to explain the inexplicable. Relocation to Las Vegas and rigged lottery odds were two of the more popular theories. Despite these claims having absolutely no merit, it helped a broken fanbase process their grief.

Hall of Famer Gary Payton has chimed in with his own theory, which is perhaps the most absurd yet. On Jeff Teague's Club 520 podcast, Payton argued that Harrison was not the architect of the trade. Rather, Mavs Governor Patrick Dumont was the architect, and Harrison was just the fall guy.

Payton's ridiculous claims demonstrate the Mavericks' Nico problem

Payton said that "people don’t understand. He’s the President and General Manager. He can’t make those calls on his own. An owner has to make that call. He can’t just say, 'I’ll make the call.' Because he was going to get fired. So, all you fans out there blaming him like that, get up out of here with that. It wasn’t his call to make that decision. He made a decision based on what he was told to do, what was supposed to be done, and that’s what they did."

Payton's analysis is just wrong. For starters, Harrison's job title as President and GM means he had the final say in roster decisions, even if Dumont had to sign off on the deal. He also admitted in the post-trade press conference that Dumont thought the proposed trade was a joke when it was initially brought up to him. Strangely enough, considering the universally negative reaction, Harrison speaks with pride about the trade. He hasn't shown an ounce of regret. If anything, he has only shown a lack of confidence.

But Payton's comments that prefaced his theory reveal the problem Dumont and company face with Harrison. Payton said "I feel for Nico, man. Nico was my rep at Nike. That’s like a little brother to me. He always looked up to me like that. So I feel for him because of what he took, you know what I’m saying?"

Harrison did not earn his job through a proven record of savvy moves or a long career in NBA front offices. In fact, Harrison's first job working for a professional basketball team was as the Mavs' GM. Harrison was instead hired because of his deep network from his time at Nike. Harrison's circle includes Payton, Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, and countless other NBA stars.

Connections are valuable in any industry, particularly in the NBA, where friendships and rivalries have created and destroyed dynasties. Yet, a strong network does not remotely qualify you to be the lead decision maker for an NBA team.

Yet, because of Harrison's relationships, Dumont and the Mavericks will have a hard time replacing Harrison. Any other GM would have been fired for the mistake Harrison made. But Harrison has turned the Mavs roster into an army of current or former Nike athletes, all of whom have a close relationship with Harrison.

Every team should staff people as well-connected as Harrison to maximize their chances of attracting and retaining talent. But by tasking Harrison with the future of the team, the Mavericks shot themselves in the foot and could only be saved by miraculous lottery luck.

Perhaps when Mark Cuban led basketball operations, Harrison's unproven record and obvious bias for Nike guys would never have been a problem. Trades as ridiculous as the Doncic trade would have been vetoed without a second thought. Now that Dumont leads the Mavs, the franchise is in the hands of two people who seemingly cannot be fired and whose career experience is in business, not basketball operations. How the Mavericks will solve their Nico problem remains a mystery, but it is known that Dumont is looking to hire an additional executive to work in the front office with Harrison to provide some checks and balances.