Ex-Mavs executive ridicules Nico Harrison's Luka Doncic decision with verbose tirade

Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison is not the most popular man in Dallas after trading Luka Doncic to the LA Lakers. Harrison was recently ridiculed by a former Mavs executive for the decision he made regarding Doncic, who is one of the best players in the NBA today.

In a tirade on X (formerly Twitter), former Mavs director of quantitative research and development Haralabos Voulgaris claimed that the Doncic trade will go down as the worst in history. Voulgaris, who had a shaky relationship with the Slovenian superstar, couldn't believe the reasoning behind the deal.

"This will go down as one of (Probably THE) worst trades in the history of Sports. You just traded away a top 3 player in the prime of his career and your return was a single first and a soon to be 32 year old Anthony Davis. The fact that you threw in a 2nd for good measure is just *chefs kiss*," Voulgaris tweeted.

Voulgaris also pointed out the flaw in Harrison's reasoning about defense winning championships.

"If you think defense wins championships and you want to be 3 Centers Deep on your roster - and play AD at the 4 while forcing PJ to guard 3s, Klay to guard 2s and Kyrie to guard 1s good luck with that," he said.

Voulgaris also mocked Harrison's comments about thanking LA Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka for staying quiet about the trade. The former Mavs exec explained that Pelinka knew that if he told anyone about the deal, it could derail the acquisition of Doncic.

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What did Nico Harrison say about Luka Doncic?

What did Nico Harrison say about Luka Doncic? (Photo: IMAGN)

Speaking to the media after the trade became official, Harrison defended his decision to trade Luka Doncic. He wanted to accelerate the team's timeline to win a championship, plus the looming supermax extension for the five-time All-Star.

"We really feel like we got ahead of what was going to be a tumultuous summer, him being eligible for the supermax and also a year away from him being able to opt out of any contract," Harrison said.

"And so we really felt like we got out in front of that. We know teams, they've had it out there, teams have been loading up to try to sign him once that comes available."

Before the trade, Luka Doncic was set to sign a five-year extension worth $345 million, one of the largest contracts in NBA history.

However, according to league rules, players can only land a supermax deal either with the team that drafted them or within their first four seasons with another team. Doncic's move to the Lakers now renders him ineligible for this lucrative opportunity.