The Dallas Mavericks are still being criticized for trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for a lackluster trade package in return. Dallas witnessed General Manager Nico Harrison talking the ownership into trading Doncic. The move instantly failed last season and during the first half of this season to see the Mavericks moving Anthony Davis in a more recent trade.
Mark Cuban recently shared that Mavs legend Michael Finley tried to stop the trade, but Harrison convinced owner Patrick Dumont to pull the trigger:
“I talked to Patrick (Dumont) about it, you could just tell that Nico (Harrison) just (expletive) on Luka. Because some of the stuff that Patrick was telling me was not true. Yeah. And kudos to (Michael Finley) for really trying to stand up and block it.”
Finley spent ten years in Dallas as one of the top players for the Mavericks franchise. Many fans viewed the trio of Finley, Dirk Nowitzki, and Steve Nash as being responsible for Dallas holding relevance for the first time in the NBA. A strong relationship with the Mavericks led to Finley getting a front office role as the current Vice President of Basketball Operations. Finley tried to stop Nico and Dumont, but his concerns were not respected.
Mark Cuban Accused Nico Of Lying About Luka
The other important note from this quote is that Cuban claimed that Nico Harrison was making up lies about Doncic to ownership. Dumont felt confident that the Mavericks would have a better chance at title contention if they moved on from Luka and prioritized better defense.
However, investing in Davis as the main new piece and Kyrie Irving suffering an injury ruined the team’s short-term vision. Lucking into drafting Cooper Flagg with the number one pick led to the Mavericks trading Davis and firing Harrison to start with a fresh slate.
Nico allegedly lying about Doncic and claiming his issues were too noteworthy to look away caused Dallas to make the controversial trade. Despite things working out to have a new beginning with Flagg and a new GM, the Mavericks have to continue moving forward knowing they initiated one of the worst trades in sports history.
Michael Finley & Luka Doncic Had Controversial Moment
Finley being the main person within the Dallas organization to have Luka’s back seems a bit surprising due to a past tense moment between the two. Fans assumed Finley disliked Doncic due to a viral backstage moment of the former taking away a beer from the latter during the 2024 Western Conference Finals celebration after defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Finley later confirmed that this happened due to the social media team’s request. Photographers were fearful of taking a photo of Luka with his father due to the potential issues of promoting beer when he was holding it.
The unique moment of Finley taking away the beer wasn’t personal. In fact, Finley has proven to be Doncic’s top supporter as one of the few names who stood up for him. Luka would still be in Dallas if Finley held more power than Harrison did during that time.
Mavs Legend Almost Stopped Team From Trading Luka Doncic