“He’s just helpless defensively—off the ball too… How about you put up a fight in, like, Game 1? And now you’re down 3-1 and you’re probably going home,” said Zach Lowe about Luka Doncic before Game 5 of the Lakers-Timberwolves series.

That blunt assessment might have triggered a sense of déjà vu for anyone who followed the drama between Doncic and the Mavericks’ front office earlier this season. The Slovenian superstar, once seen as untouchable in Dallas, was shockingly traded, fueled in part by GM Nico Harrison’s firm belief that “defense wins championships.”

Many questioned the move, but with the Lakers now eliminated in the first round and Doncic watching from afar, it’s Harrison who may be having the last laugh. And if he is, he’s far from the only one.

Right after the Minnesota Timberwolves secured their 4th win against the Lakers by a 103-96 score, Mark Williams took to this official X account. He tweeted nothing else, except for a smiley face. For long-time NBA enthusiasts, however, that was all the Charlotte Hornets player had to do. After all, the timing of his tweet, and his history with the Lakers made it clear he was glad to see them fall. As Alfred Pennyworth once said, “Some men just want to watch the world burn”.

Williams didn’t just stop at X. He doubled down on Instagram, posting a story featuring the viral meme of a man casually standing at a burial—an unmistakable dig signaling the death of the Lakers’ playoff hopes.

In case you did not get the story behind the smiley face, it is time to go back a few months. Fans might remember that after the shocking Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade, Rob Pelinka wanted to make another move that would send the same kind of shockwaves in the NBA world. In the end, the Lakers front office decided to trade their star rookie, Dalton Knecht, for, guess who, Mark Williams. As reported by Fox Sports, the Lakers looked at Williams as a “young and exciting prospect who could help them plug their glaring hole at center”. Someone was needed to cover that part, as the Lakers were now without Anthony Davis. Furthermore, Luka Dončić would have gotten a pick-and-roll partner, like he had with the Dallas Mavericks.

Unfortunately, only days after the trade was confirmed, it was announced that the Lakers were pulling back! Shams Charania announced the news, and he also revealed that Williams’ physical with the Lakers showed multiple issues. The presence of these issues was enough for the player fail in the exam. Mark Williams certainly carries a reputation of being ‘injury-prone’, having struggled with several health issues since the Charlotte Hornets recruited him as the 15th overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft. However, for many, the theory arose that Williams’ trade being rescinded was just a case of cold feet.

If there is any better example of the fact that the Lakers could have used a player like Mark Williams, it was the team’s playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves. After all, without Williams, the Lakers were left with a big man roster consisting only of Jaxson Hayes and Alex Len. As highlighted by Yahoo! Sports reporter Jack Baer (Not Bauer, unfortunately for 24 fans), the duo did not look playoff-caliber down the stretch, and during the first round. Hayes had averaged only 1.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.3 assists in the first 4 games against the Timberwolves, while Len averaged only 0.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.0 assists in the first 2 Lakers vs Timberwolves playoff games he was a part of.

Things got bad enough that JJ Redick announced before Game 5 that he did not plan to play Hayes. Instead, he opted to use forward Maxi Kleber, who was making his Lakers debut after recovering from a foot fracture, and who was initially declared ‘OUT’ for the game.

The various changes and confusion highlighted a dysfunction in the center position, all of which could have been avoided if Mark Williams had been part of the Lakers. The team paid the price, and Mark Williams had the last laugh.

As for Nico Harrison, he would be on the receiving end of some curses from Mavs fans for letting go of their star player. However, there would be no perfect time than now for him to stand on the pedestal with the opinion he gave out two weeks ago.

Nico Harrison’s “No regrets” statement resurfaces amid Luka Doncic’s poor performance

Nico Harrison became the main villain for NBA fans after Luka Doncic’s trade. This was seen as the chants of ‘Fire Nico’ were shouted out by Mavs fans in the days leading to the trade. They were even shouted when the Lakers came to the American Airlines Center for a game back in April. Billionaire and Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta even recalled talking about “that dumba*s Luka Doncic trade that Dallas did” with US President Donald Trump and Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Even then, however, Harrison was willing to do anything but admit he was in the wrong.

Back in mid-April, Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison and CEO Rick Welts spoke to select members of the media. Behind closed doors. It reportedly marked the 2nd time Harrison spoke on the record, with the media, since the Mavericks cut ties with the Slovenian. Without any hesitation, Harrison said that “There’s no regrets on the trade. Part of my job is to do the best thing for the Mavericks, not only today, but also in the future. And some of the decisions I’m going to make are going to be unpopular, and that’s my job, and I have to stand by it”. The Mavericks GM could boldly say this, since “I keep saying the same thing, but defense wins championships”.

Harrison’s words proved true throughout the playoff series. Anyone watching the games saw Dončić being a no-show on defense. An example includes when Doncic got targeted by Chris Finch and Minnesota’s offense on a not-so-rare basis. Jaden McDaniels scored 30 points in Game 3, and most of those baskets were directly Luka’s fault. The Slovenian was reportedly not staying in front of anyone he’s defending, and his team defense was not considered any better. This earned Luka Doncic criticism from several analysts. NBA legend recently summarized his review in a few words: “He gotta learn to play defense and get in shape!”. Yikes!

One team’s major loss is a small win for two unrelated individuals. It is now up to both Luka Doncic and the Lakers to prove their critics wrong. Unfortunately, they won’t get the chance to do that for at least another couple of months.