The New York Knicks winning the NBA Championship has raised Jalen Brunson into an iconic Hall of Fame figure, but the Dallas Mavericks may be the biggest losers from this. Despite not being involved in the NBA Finals, fans are now questioning how Dallas had both Luka Doncic and Brunson on the roster only to lose them both. Anthony Davis was the only star they received for either man, but they already traded him before one full season.
Former Mavericks trainer Casey Smith called out the Mavericks and Nico Harrison for having no desire to keep Brunson, Smith, and a few other names:
“Shout out to my real ones. @jalenbrunson1, @PJPatton52, @heathaaamau. They said we weren’t a good fit for their culture. Said we weren’t good enough in our roles. Peter Patton, Heather Mau, Jalen. We did and will continue to do the work.”
Smith discussed the names that left Dallas in the summer of 2022. Nico Harrison is the name that most are linking to this criticism based on past stories and the timing of the moves. Harrison showed little interest in keeping Brunson once the Knicks valued him enough to offer a financial upgrade. The Mavericks made the Western Conference Finals in 2022 with Brunson, but they allowed him to leave and didn’t believe in him getting better.
Why Nico Harrison Is Getting Blame
One major story about the trainer losing his job painted Harrison in a negative light long before he became hated for trading Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. Harrison set up a video call when Smith was out of town in the summer for his mother’s funeral to fire him over a video chat.
The rumor mill indicated that Smith was accused of being “too negative” and not agreeing with Harrison all the time. Smith and other members of the training staff got fired that summer and ultimately landed roles with the Knicks once Brunson signed there.
Dallas won the Training Staff of the Year two years in a row right before the firing. New York ended up winning the same award in 2025 after hiring the names fired by the Mavericks. Smith calling out their former franchise here shows that there is resentment towards feeling unfairly fired.
Luck Saved Dallas Mavericks From More Embarrassment
Few franchises in the NBA have had as many poor stories following them than the Mavericks in recent years. Losing Doncic for a terrible trade package and not opening the market for better offers may be the biggest mistake in NBA history.
However, even the smaller things to fly under the radar like this show how bad the decision making got. Dallas winning the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery to land Cooper Flagg with the top pick saved them from being in arguably the worst position in the league.
If the Mavericks did not land Flagg, the entire franchise would be built around an aging Kyrie Irving coming back from a terrible injury. Dallas fans have more peace knowing they have a generational prospect and Harrison has been fired to start a new chapter.
Jalen Brunson’s Trainer Calls Out Nico Harrison & Dallas Mavericks