"Defense wins championships": Nico Harrison doubles down on Anthony Davis trade decision

On Tuesday morning, Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison spoke to the media for the first time since making a league-altering trade at the deadline. During this press conference, the longtime executive seems to have doubled down on his decision to part with Luka Doncic.

While Harrison did address the media, the situation was far from a normal press conference. Only a select group of reporters received an invite, and no recording devices were allowed to be used.

Among those in attendance for this availability was ESPN insider Tim MacMahon. After Nico Harrison was done speaking, he took to social media to report on some of the things mentioned. MacMahon cited that "defense wins championships" was a common theme of his messaging, likely referring to swapping Doncic for Anthony Davis.

Nico Harrison's press conference comes just as the Mavericks are gearing up to try and secure a spot in the postseason. Sitting in 10th place, they'll have to win two play-in games in hopes of making it to the playoffs. Their first matchup is Wednesday night, facing off against the Sacramento Kings.

Since the blockbuster trade became official, Harrison has faced endless backlash from fans and analysts. It also didn't help that both teams went in drastically different directions following the deal. Doncic and the Lakers find themselves in the third seed in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, Dallas suffered massive injury blows to Kyrie Irving and Davis.

After spending weeks on the sidelines, Davis has been able to return and help the Mavs fight for a playoff spot. That said, it hasn't done much for Harrison. Seeing that he traded away a superstar talent in his prime, this decision is going to follow him for the rest of his career.