Draymond Green isn’t so sure Nico Harrison deserves the constant criticism he received over the Luka Doncic trade.
The Warriors star called out NBA media members who weren’t on board with the blockbuster deal during an episode of his self-titled podcast this week.
“So many people crushed Nico for the reasons he gave [for trading Doncic]Green said. ‘When Nico gave these reasons, everyone said: ‘He’s ridiculous, he’s crazy.’
“When I turn on the TV now, all I see is the media who crushed Nico Harrison, which actually helped get him fired, repeating the same things Nico Harrison said.”
Green’s comments come as Doncic’s experience in Los Angeles hasn’t quite lived up to the hype.
Although the perennial MVP candidate is scoring 32.7 points with 8.6 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game, his defense is lacking and the Lakers as a whole rank 24th in the league in defensive net rating.
Despite their 34-24 record, the Lakers have been outscored this season, winning an inordinate number of close games while being shut out more than the team would like, and are widely seen as far behind true Western Conference contenders like the Thunder, Nuggets and Spurs.
“I’ve never seen anyone come out and say, ‘Hey Nico, I’m sorry for the things I said about you when you made that move, because I just said the same things out of my mouth,’” Green continued. “This has nothing to do with Luka and everything to do with the media and Nico Harrison. Nico gave his reasoning as the team’s general manager as to why he thought this was the right move. Everyone said, ‘You’re a royal idiot. You should be fired. Worst GM in NBA history.'”
After calls for his job by the Mavericks fanbase, Harrison was fired nine months after the trade, sending Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to Los Angeles with Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick to Dallas.
Whether Harrison deserved the backlash or not, it’s safe to say that the deal ultimately wasn’t everything the Mavericks organization was hoping for at the time.
After dealing with several injuries and playing in just 29 games as a Maverick, Davis was dealt to Washington, DC along with Jaden Hardy, D’Angelo Russell and Dante Exum for Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III and five draft picks.
The Mavericks lucked out in the lottery last year, acquiring No. 1 pick and prized prospect Cooper Flagg, who played a key role en route to a potential NBA Rookie of the Year campaign, although the Mavericks are currently 21-38 and ranked 12th in the West.
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