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Nico Harrison wanted Luka Doncic to travel with the Dallas Mavericks during a five-game, 10-day road trip in late January as he continued his rehabilitation from a calf strain. Doncic had believed he had suffered the calf strain on Christmas because he returned too soon from a previous injury. Doncic's camp also believed plane rides could create a possible setback and that he could maximize his workouts remaining in Dallas.

Sources tell The Athletic that the decision from Doncic frustrated team executives with the Mavericks. 

Nico Harrison already had doubts about the Mavericks investing in Doncic long-term with a five-year, $345 million supermax extension during the 2025 offseason. Sources say that the decision by Doncic to skip the trip reiterated in Harrison's mind that the Mavericks would be better off without him.

While the Mavericks didn't trade Doncic simply because he chose not to go on the trip, Harrison did choose to continue his trade conversations with Rob Pelinka of the Los Angeles Lakers. Harrison recommended to Patrick Dumont that the Mavericks move forward with the trade and Dumont agreed to it.

“I don’t know how many teams saw the same thing that Nico saw,” a league source not involved in the trade discussions said. “And then, the other pieces, the PJ Washingtons, that he put together. And they go to the fricking finals, right? So, I don’t know what you (Dumont) think of your general manager in your few month’s experience with him. But you probably think that he’s got a gift, that he’s good at this.”

Via Christian Clark, David Aldridge, Sam Amick, Fred Katz/The Athletic

“Better off without him”
Team goes from contender to play-in team that probably won’t even make the playoffs without him.
Whoops!

Mavs are only putting out this "leak" because news got out that they're losing money season-over-season as they've lost Doncic. Once people start digging into the L rizzness of that decision, and what really drove it, they'll see just what kind of people the Adelsons are. They're afraid of that, so they're putting this "news" out... except it isn't real "news" it's fake news. Real fake news!! Meant to distract you and not see the ownership as the SICK IN THE BRAIN people they are!!!


RealGM! Don't let yourselves be pawns, RealGM!!

CIN-C-STAR wrote:“Better off without him”
Team goes from contender to play-in team that probably won’t even make the playoffs without him.
Whoops!

They lost Kyrie I doubt they were a contender this season.. The lakers though they look like contenders though they already did before luka got there they were in the 2 seed basically with no AD and Luka playing not well.

Vegeta10176 wrote:

CIN-C-STAR wrote:“Better off without him”
Team goes from contender to play-in team that probably won’t even make the playoffs without him.
Whoops!

They lost Kyrie I doubt they were a contender this season.. The lakers though they look like contenders though they already did before luka got there they were in the 2 seed basically with no AD and Luka playing not well.

Naw they still woulda had a punchers chance even without Kyrie.
Outside of OKC the West is wide open, and they beat OKC last season. Could’ve easily been a Shai injury from a return trip to the Finals.
Their chances weren’t great, but they have zero chance now. None.

Who cares about regular season games in january?

The evil-faced Mavs owner and evil-faced Nico are so incompetent they're stupid enough to KEEP TALKING trying to spit on Luka while he's already gone from the organization, desperately trying to justify a trade that 99.9% of anyone with a brain knows is an unthinkable trade.

What a pathetic organization they've turned the Mavs into. Sell the f'n team. Dysfunctional, incompetent, classless, TRASH. They really don't know when to shut up, do they?

This is expected though - they have no f'n clue what they're doing on any level. Already the worst execs in sports by a long shot.

CIN-C-STAR wrote:“Better off without him”
Team goes from contender to play-in team that probably won’t even make the playoffs without him.
Whoops!

No team could survive the injuries that the mavs were dealt. They are contenders if they can field a healthy roster

CIN-C-STAR wrote:

Vegeta10176 wrote:

CIN-C-STAR wrote:“Better off without him”
Team goes from contender to play-in team that probably won’t even make the playoffs without him.
Whoops!

They lost Kyrie I doubt they were a contender this season.. The lakers though they look like contenders though they already did before luka got there they were in the 2 seed basically with no AD and Luka playing not well.

Naw they still woulda had a punchers chance even without Kyrie.
Outside of OKC the West is wide open, and they beat OKC last season. Could’ve easily been a Shai injury from a return trip to the Finals.
Their chances weren’t great, but they have zero chance now. None.

Not to mention Kyrie may not have gotten injured if he wasn’t having to try and put up 30 every night.

Kyrie and Klay thought they’d be contending in their later years and not having to be the focal point - and dines and space from Luka. Now they’re in this lottery bound dumpster fire.

RJT2k wrote:

CIN-C-STAR wrote:

Vegeta10176 wrote:
They lost Kyrie I doubt they were a contender this season.. The lakers though they look like contenders though they already did before luka got there they were in the 2 seed basically with no AD and Luka playing not well.

Naw they still woulda had a punchers chance even without Kyrie.
Outside of OKC the West is wide open, and they beat OKC last season. Could’ve easily been a Shai injury from a return trip to the Finals.
Their chances weren’t great, but they have zero chance now. None.

Not to mention Kyrie may not have gotten injured if he wasn’t having to try and put up 30 every night.

Kyrie and Klay thought they’d be contending in their later years and not having to be the focal point - and dines and space from Luka. Now they’re in this lottery bound dumpster fire.

Exactly kyrie got injured because he had to do so much more with Luka traded away and AD injured like always I feel bad for kyrie and klay they thought they’d be competing for a championship this season smh poor mavs fans