Luka Doncic and Nico Harrison had "major disagreement" just before blockbuster Lakers trade: Report

Luka Doncic's reported final exchange with Nico Harrison before he got traded surfaced on Monday. ESPN's Tim McMahon shared details of the divide between Doncic's camp and Harrison leading up to the earth-shattering trade, which saw the Slovenian superstar head to LA for Anthony Davis.

Doncic was injured and inching closer to a return when Dallas dealt him overnight on Feb. 1, despite him not asking for a trade or indicating his desire to leave the franchise ahead of an imminent extension.

However, concerns around Doncic's conditioning and Harrison's "defense wins championships" philosophy altered the then-25-year-old generational superstar's career in a rare deal. McMahon also reported a "major disagreement" between Doncic's camp and Harrison in their final exchange before the trade.

The situation was around Harrison requesting Doncic to join the team on a five-game road trip, which the player declined. While dealing with a left calf strain that he sustained on Christmas Day, Doncic preferred staying back in Dallas so he could have access to the Mavericks' practice facility and work on his rehab.

Harrison complained that Doncic held the "team hostage" over a previous disagreement between his camp and the team's medical staff over his return timeline. The Mavericks' Director of Player Health and Performance, Johann Bilsborough, believed Doncic could have returned in two to three weeks, but the player's staff opposed, saying he needed at least six weeks.

While in Dallas, Doncic was reportedly doing multi-hour basketball workouts twice a day, which he may not have been able to do on the road. However, Harrison believed Doncic should have been scrimmaging instead, to which Doncic's camp responded by saying he would join the Mavericks' G League team in Frisco.

As per McMahon's report, the next time Doncic and his camp heard from Harrison, it was regarding his trade to the LA Lakers.

: Report