Nico Harrison dominated the headlines on Tuesday, as the former Dallas Mavericks general manager was relieved of his duties nine months after he orchestrated the blockbuster trade sending Luka Doncic to the Lakers.
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green was one of many individuals to chime in on the mid-November firing, as the four-time NBA champion offered a theory on the real reason Harrison is no longer a member of the Mavericks’ organization.
"Y'all just wanna go point the finger at Nico because that was a storyline,” Green said on the Draymond Green show. “Now, let's make that a storyline again. That (expletive) is whack to me.”
"So, next year, they come back, their full team that Nico intended to be out there, and they have success. Then what?"
“The team that he's constructed to go win a championship hasn't been on the court," Green said about Harrison. "Nobody assumed Kyrie Irving would tear his ACL. AD (Anthony Davis) started out with the eye; he's had the injury as of late. The team hasn't really been out there.”
Essentially, the Warriors' do-it-all forward is insinuating that, while Harrison didn’t have enough time to prove himself in the post-Doncic era in Dallas, the Mavericks felt they had no choice but to pull the plug on the 52-year-old, given the franchise's struggles (3-8) and the Lakers' hot start to the year (8-3).
The Mavericks needed to save face before it was too late, and with all eyes being on Harrison following the surprising early February deal, cutting ties with the Seattle, Washington native during the first stage of the season was the most viable option for the 2011 NBA champions.
If the Mavericks had waited until the Lakers secured another championship before moving on from Harrison, the backlash would have been unbearable.
Simply put, Green understands that Harrison was the Mavericks’ scapegoat, which ultimately led to his inevitable firing.
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