Unfixable error will destroy Mavericks' chance to replace Doncic in 2025 NBA Draft

The Dallas Mavericks made the most shocking trade in NBA history almost two and a half months ago when they nonsensically traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis in the middle of the night, and the consequences of this move continue to rain down on the organization every single day.

From season ticket cancellations to nonstop anger from fans and more, this trade has not been easy for the organization due to Nico Harrison's decision to move on from Doncic. Harrison didn't think that Doncic was going to improve his off-court habits, complaining, or leadership, and these reasons, on top of some other factors, caused him to move on from Doncic before this season's trade deadline.

The repercussions of Harrison's decision to trade Doncic are poised to carry over into the future, with the 2025 NBA Draft quietly being somewhere that could be hugely affected. With the Mavericks' draft assets being extremely limited moving forward, this summer's draft is a great opportunity for them to add a cost-controlled player who addresses one of their needs, and one hole on the roster has been gaping for weeks, and it has to be fixed as soon as possible.

Demin to Dallas may be an impossible pipe dream due to Harrison

The Mavericks must add more playmaking this summer to make up for Doncic being gone, as well as Kyrie Irving set to miss a large chunk of next season, and one of the best ways to do that is through the draft. The best playmaker in the draft, Egor Demin from BYU, is projected to be selected near the range that Dallas will be picking, and he'd be the perfect fit. Demin averaged 10.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 41.2 percent from the field, and his game looks like it'll translate beautifully to the NBA.

His elite playmaking, size, and basketball IQ, along with his ability to be a combo guard, make him someone the Mavs should definitely consider if he's on the board when they're on the clock, but an unfixable reality that Harrison created could decrease Dallas' chances of drafting him.

Demin and Doncic share the same agent, Bill Duffy, and considering that Harrison went behind Duffy and Doncic's back when he traded Doncic to the Lakers, it seems unlikely that Duffy would push for the Mavericks to draft Demin. Relationships are everything in today's NBA, and that includes agent-team relationships.

Duffy was instrumental in getting Doncic to Dallas on draft night in 2018, but since Harrison double-crossed Duffy during the Doncic trade, it doesn't seem like he'd push for Demin to be drafted by the Mavericks in a few months. Not to mention that Duffy has had a rocky relationship with the Mavs that dates back to Steve Nash's days in Dallas, and the stars may not align for the Mavericks to draft Demin like they did for Doncic.

This doesn't mean that Demin to Dallas can't happen, as his potential fit and role could end up overruling all, but it shouldn't be expected that Duffy will jump through hoops to make his guy a Maverick. He saw the heartbreak that Doncic went through when he was traded to the Lakers unexpectedly, and there's no way that he wants any of his guys to have to go through something like that.