Nico Harrison Defends Luka Trade, But No Cameras Allowed

Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison and CEO Rick Welts held a press conference for the first time since a day after trading Luka Dončić to the Lakers more than two months ago, with a twist.

The Mavs held an invite-only press conference for certain team reporters Tuesday morning. The team initially didn’t want to allow any audio or video recordings. But after reporters objected, the Mavs allowed them to record audio of the meeting, so long as they didn’t publish it, one journalist who attended tells Front Office Sports.

In the meeting, Harrison defended his decision to trade the Slovenian superstar. “There’s no regrets on the trade,” Harrison said, adding that it “was the best decision going forward.” He continually repeated that “defense wins championships.” Anthony Davis, who came to Dallas in the Dončić trade, has been named to the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team three times, and All-Defensive Second Team twice.

“Well, the beauty of Dallas is it is a passionate fanbase,” Harrison said. “For us to reach our goals, we need that fanbase. And to be honest with you, every trade I’ve made since I’ve been here has not been regarded as a good trade. So sometimes it takes time.”

Only about 15 reporters were in the meeting, another person who attended tells FOS. Harrison and Welts spoke for about an hour, most of which was spent answering questions. The team also asked reporters not to post live on social media, which this source says was new for the Mavericks. 

The invitation email sent Monday called the event a “small media roundtable discussion” in a boardroom at the American Airlines Center, with “No cameras or audio recording; a transcript of the discussion will be provided.”

Team spokespeople did not immediately respond to questions about why the team held an on-the-record press conference without allowing publishable audio or video recordings. (It’s not unusual for team executives to hold small off-the-record gatherings.)

Welts drew heat on social media for comparing the Mavs–Lakers deal to the 2012 Warriors trade of Monta Ellis for Andrew Bogut. The former Warriors president and COO said the team traded away a “beloved” player for one who wasn’t very “marketable,” but “it got better because they had a guard named Steph Curry, and Steph Curry came in and made the entire fanbase love him.”

“The problem here is that in this analogy, Luka is not Monta Ellis,” Tim Cato, one of the beat writers at the meeting, said Tuesday on the DLLS Mavs Podcast. “Luka is Steph Curry.”

Last week, Dončić made his return to Dallas and scored 45 against his old team.

After Dončić’s departure, Dallas fans received refund offers for season tickets for the remainder of the season. A month later, the Mavs announced season ticket prices for next year would increase by an average of more than 8%. Team sources estimated to ESPN that the financial hit will “probably” reach “nine figures,” and the team is already set to lose millions this year between drops in sponsorships and ticket and merchandise sales.

“Part of the ‘Fire Nico’ chants, although, you would rather the fans cheer for the team and me not be the story,” Harrison said. “It’s not just the Nico Harrison show.”