Kyrie Irving's injury turned into Nico Harrison's "bad luck" for new-look Mavericks, claims Suns announcer

Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison put his legacy on the line when he worked out a deal to send Dallas' franchise player Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in a deal for Anthony Davis.

The move broke the internet, and fans across the world were shocked, especially Mavericks fans who were just a few months removed from an NBA Finals appearance.

Even in the moment, the move made some sense as Dallas entered a win-now mode, pairing Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis. An older duo, yet two of the top 15 players in the league. However, injuries quickly set in after the trade as Davis went down for a short while, followed by Irving's season-ending ACL injury.

Phoenix Suns announcer Eddie A. Johnson wrote on social media that Harrison's bad luck was the unfortunate injuries to his stars. He said with Irving healthy, the Mavericks would have been a threat to come out of the Western Conference.

"Nico Harrison's bad luck in the Luka transaction was Kyrie getting hurt. Because if he were healthy, this @dallasmavs team would be a threat to come out the West and their internet fans would still be butt hurt," Johnson wrote on X.

The comment was in response to an "NBA on ESPN" segment speaking about the invite-only meeting Nico Harrison had with members of the media. The media attendees were unable to bring any phones or cameras into the closed-door meeting.

Mavericks reporter Tim MacMahon said during the segment that Harrison continued to stress the importance that defense wins championships in the invite-only meeting.

Due to the injuries to Irving and Davis, the Mavericks' defense has certainly been tested as the defensive side of the ball has had to take on a bigger task of limiting opposing players with the inability to keep up offensively.

The Mavericks finished tenth in the Western Conference standings and will now have to go through the Play-In Tournament for a chance to return to the playoffs.

Dallas Mavericks will face the Memphis Grizzlies for a chance to extend the season into the playoffs

The Dallas Mavericks got off to a good start in their quest to go through the Play-In Tournament on Wednesday night as they defeated the Sacramento Kings in a blowout 120-106 win.

As the ninth and tenth seeds, the Dallas Mavericks will need to go through a second round in the Play-in Tournament to advance to the eighth seed. Dallas will face the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday on the road.

Memphis fell to the Golden State Warriors in the first Play-In game. The Mavericks and Grizzlies face a win-or-go-home scenario.