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One man became the common villain for Dallas when Luka Doncic got traded. Former Mavericks GM Nico Harrison couldn’t walk without being confronted. He even had to hire security. Fans didn’t leave a single opportunity to make their feelings heard. However, Anthony Davis, the protagonist of Harrison’s vision, doesn’t feel he deserved the backlash.
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Davis saw Harrison’s actions as brave. “When you sit in that seat, you have to make decisions that m———–s are scared to make,” he said on The Draymond Green Show. Parting ways with a former franchise prodigy was always going to upset the fans. But Nico Harrison chose to go with this vision.
The ten-time All-Star also respected Harrison’s vision. Davis felt the former Mavericks general manager’s chessboard had every piece. Unfortunately, the Mavericks’ player availability never allowed for those plans to take shape.
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“We just didn’t have the opportunity to show it, right? You know, you get Coop, the number one pick, paired with myself, Kyrie, you got PJ, Live foot, his whole foot was messed up, you know what I’m saying? He had foot surgery, so he couldn’t play. Gab training camp, rolled his ankle, was out for a while… It’s like we got these pieces but we couldn’t never put them together because of injuries,” AD added.
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Dec 23, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) brings the ball up court against the Denver Nuggets during the second half at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Health surely hurt them. Kyrie Irving was expected to miss the entire season. Dereck Lively II was also ruled out for the season with an injury. Anthony Davis only played 29 games as a Maverick over a year. Nico Harrison’s plans never got off its feet because it never got a fair shot. That’s the reason Davis said, “I think the criticism was unwarranted”.
The only part that wasn’t considered was landing Cooper Flagg. The coveted first pick landed in the Mavericks’ laps by luck. Do the Mavericks have a decent chance without the sensational rookie? At this point, it’s useless to debate these things. AD has moved on, and Harrison’s mindset is gone.
Anthony Davis doesn’t think success would have eliminated Dallas’ fury
The Dallas community was beyond hurt when the team traded Luka Doncic. Everything felt off. The secrecy behind the deal meant Mavericks fans didn’t have a clue what was happening. It felt like an open betrayal, causing fans to lash out. Anthony Davis now wishes the team could have had the chance to evolve together and achieve Harrison’s goals.
That being said, The Brow also feels winning wouldn’t have made a difference to the tense standoff between the team and the fans.
“I say this all the time, I feel like we could have won 60 games. We could have, you know, traded for Michael Jordan. Like, we could have did whatever. I think it would have always been like a cloud over Dallas because Luka wasn’t there, you know? Not more so like who we got, but it’s just like they missed, you know, they missed and slash miss Luka so much,” Davis admitted.
Another thing Anthony Davis felt went against the Mavericks was Luka Doncic’s subsequent success. This season, he’s leading the league in scoring. He eradicated doubts about his fitness. Lakers head coach JJ Redick said Doncic may be in the best shape of his life. These were the reasons the Mavericks stated for making the trade.
It added fuel to the resentment that Dallas fans felt. And with such hostility at every home game, the Mavericks had to make a decision for peace. Firing Nico Harrison was a way to repair their relationship with the fans. They’ve now sparked some excitement by handing Cooper Flagg the keys to the franchise. But there will always be some curiosity over what the team with AD could have achieved.
He, Kyrie Irving, and Flagg never played a single game together. Maybe that trio could have changed fans’ minds. But regular obstacles with staying healthy never saw that happen.
