Not a single word was said or written by Patrick Dumont, the Dallas owner, about Luka Dončić, no hint of guilt, no flicker of understanding for fan frustration when ex-GM Nico Harrison got the axe on Tuesday. And honestly? That silence says it all. Enter the brand-new Chief Communication Officer, like a glittering Band-Aid over a leaky narrative, to redirect the spotlight away from the Dončić era. Meanwhile, fans are popping champagne that their “fire Nico” chants landed, but was he really the villain in this drama, while Dumont quietly sidestepped the blame and soaked up none of the heat? 

Charles Barkley didn’t hold back on ESPN when talking about his friend Nico Harrison.

“Well, first of all, Nico’s a friend of mine, so obviously I’m biased. Nico got screwed 100%. Because if you go back and look at this thing, the trades he made three years ago is the reason the Mavericks made it to the finals. The Mavs were a mediocre team until he made those trades. He was doing a good job… that he had the bad luck with Anthony Davis never being available basically. But the thing that bothers me is he’s just being made a scapegoat. Listen, Shaq knows this. Kenny knows this. There’s no way in the world Nico Harrison had the power to trade Luka Dončić unless the owner of the team signed…So, that’s the thing that bothers me.”

Barkley’s comments cut straight to the heart of what’s become a power-play in Dallas’ front office. If his claim holds weight, it paints a picture of Harrison as the fall guy for a franchise-altering decision he proposed but reportedly had everyone on board. Higher authorities, like Dumont’s negligence, were involved in green-lighting the move.

And in that light, the optics shift: while Lakers GM Rob Pelinka played quiet chess, leveraging relationships and narrative pressure to drive down the asking price for Luka, Harrison may have been caught between the organisation’s expectations and Pelinka’s persistence.

It’s front-office politics at its finest and, if Barkley’s right, a masterclass in how control quietly changes hands long before the trade is ever finalized.

Reports show the Dallas Mavericks decided not to offer Luka the full supermax contract extension he was eligible for —a five-year deal worth about $345 million. Even though Luka had been nothing short of brilliant on the court and was clearly the heart of the franchise, the team’s new ownership and front office reportedly had second thoughts.
They were worried that his ongoing weight and conditioning issues could make such a massive investment risky in the long run.

Doncic, for his part, made it clear he would’ve signed the extension if it had been on the table. But the Mavericks never put it there. Team governor Patrick Dumont was said to be one of the key voices agreeing that giving Luka a supermax deal just didn’t make financial sense for the team.

Pelinka had painted Luka as a long-term headache, pointing to weight issues, injuries, and off-court drama, chipping away at Dallas’ demands inch by inch. In the end, Luka went to LA for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick, while the Mavs kept their 2031 pick.

Dallas got AD, who, funnily enough, is now facing the very same weight criticisms once leveled at Luka Doncic, a full-circle twist if there ever was one. And that’s when Dumont lost patience. With the governor stepping in to back the Mavs’ medical staff’s cautious approach, delaying Davis’ return over the weekend while the team languished at 3-8, Dumont pulled off the Band-Aid himself. Harrison? The fall guy.

If that’s the case, Nico obviously sees the whole picture, the smoke, mirrors, and backroom moves. He knows that all of Dumont’s post-firing justifications, like, “You [fans] have high expectations for the Mavericks, and I share them with you. When the results don’t meet expectations, it’s my responsibility to act,” are really just a carefully crafted cover story.

And maybe that’s why Nico seems completely unfazed—no press conferences, no dramatic statements, just a quiet little Instagram update that reads “unemployed.” It’s his mic-drop moment, a subtle way of saying he’s moving on from the toxic circus of the front office. 

Let’s see the “vision” Nico Harrison had in mind when trading Luka Doncic

Barkley reminded us just how solid Nico Harrison was long before the Luka trade drama took over every Mavericks headline. He spent more than four years learning the ropes, making bold trades, and even drafting No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, famously declaring, “Now you see the vision.” And if you actually rewind the tape, you start to see exactly what he meant.

Take the early moves, for instance. One of Harrison’s first big calls was trading Kristaps Porziņģis to the Wizards. The Unicorn had been battling injuries and Dallas was ready to pivot. In return, Harrison got Spencer Dinwiddie and Dāvis Bertāns, reshaping the roster while giving the Mavericks flexibility to chase future opportunities. 

Then came Christian Wood from Houston, a six-player deal that brought a versatile scoring big man into the fold. Wood made an instant splash, scoring at least 25 points in his first two games, setting the tone for Harrison’s fearless approach to building the team.

Harrison wasn’t afraid to swing for the fences either. At the 2022-23 trade deadline, he pulled off the Kyrie Irving acquisition, seeing a chance to go all-in while the Nets’ star wanted out. Sure, the team stumbled down the stretch, but Irving signed a three-year extension and became a cornerstone for Dallas’ Finals run in 2024.

And that’s where the P.J. Washington trade comes in, Harrison went big again, flipping Seth Curry, Grant Williams, and a future first-round pick to Charlotte to snag the forward who helped propel Dallas to 22-9 over the final 31 games and into the NBA Finals.

Daniel Gafford was acquired from the Washington Wizards during Harrison’s tenure and helped Dallas reach the 2024 NBA Finals. He signed a three-year, $54 million extension with the Mavericks in the 2025 offseason. Even if he’s having somewhat of a down year, he’s still a valuable asset. Not to forget, he’s been the steady force for the Mavs with AD currently injured.

Dereck Lively II was a standout young center drafted by the Mavs during Harrison’s time as GM. Lively played a role during the Finals run and was part of the core pieces Harrison was trying to build around as well.

Even the Klay Thompson sign-and-trade showed Harrison’s audacity. Building around Dončić, he orchestrated a six-team deal to bring in a four-time champion, hoping the combo of Thompson and Dallas’ existing core would push the team to the next level.

Everything before Luka? A string of savvy, high-reward moves that transformed the Mavericks from a middle-of-the-pack squad into legitimate title contenders.