A year ago was one of the worst days in Dallas Mavericks history, as Nico Harrison pulled the trigger on the worst and most confusing trade in the NBA’s lifetime. He traded Luka Doncic, a 25-year-old megastar months removed from carrying the team to the NBA Finals, to the Los Angeles Lakers for an underwhelming package centered around an aging Anthony Davis.

It was a disastrous trade the moment it was made, and it’s somehow only gotten worse. Nico Harrison was fired from his post as general manager in November, Anthony Davis has been injured for more games than he’s played, and Luka Doncic is leading the NBA in scoring. Doncic still loves the city of Dallas, as evidenced by his most recent trip back, and it still doesn’t feel right that he’s not a Maverick.

Now that enough time has passed from the situation, we’re starting to learn more about the behind-the-scenes picture, and ESPN’s Tim MacMahon left a big nugget that Harrison actually threatened to trade Doncic in a conversation with MacMahon right after he hurt his calf on Christmas Day of 2024.

“This was right after the Christmas calf strain, which was Luka’s fourth calf strain in a short span… It was an off-the-record discussion, but [Harrison] was basically complaining about ‘It’s always the same problem,’ referring to Luka’s condition. And I said to him, ‘What are you gonna do about it?… I’m tired of being the bad guy. I’m tired of always being the one reporting on the conditioning, and y’all are never putting your names on it. So, if you want to complain about his conditioning, put your name on it, because I’m tired of taking all the heat.’

“I swear to you, Mike, he said, ‘If I gotta trade him, I’ll trade his ass.’ And I threw my head back and rolled my eyes, I was like, ‘Sure, you will, buddy.'”

Right after Luka Doncic got hurt on Christmas Day, Nico Harrison told him that if he couldn’t get in shape he’d trade him, per @BannedMacMahon

(h/t @NationMffl)pic.twitter.com/VzmS7RyXEJ

— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) January 29, 2026

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You don’t hear direct conversations like this come out often, but I don’t think MacMahon is worried about burning the source of someone who will never be back in the NBA. There will likely be a lot more information that comes out about this trade in the coming years, and potentially even in the next week as the one-year anniversary arrives.

Harrison kept pushing Doncic back from injury too soon, especially with that calf strain, and it ended up ripping the hearts out of every Mavericks fan, and even a lot of NBA fans. It’s a trade that will never make sense.

READ MORE: 3 Overreactions as Cooper Flagg’s 49 Points Aren’t Enough, Mavericks Fall to Hornets

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