Mavericks GM Harrison defends Dončić trade
Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison doubled down on his belief that "defense wins championships" in an end-of-season news conference Monday.
Why it matters: Harrison said that he knew former Mav Luka Dončić "was important to the fan base" but "didn't quite know to what level" before trading him to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis.
Fans have railed against Harrison since the trade, regularly chanting, "Fire Nico," at games.
Driving the news: The news conference comes less than a week after a closed doors roundtable with reporters and Harrison. No cameras or recordings were allowed, which didn't play well for Harrison among fans and on social media.
The intrigue: Hours before the planned news conference, ESPN published a report detailing what it described as dysfunction and discord in the Mavs front office.
The story recounts the firing of health and performance director Casey Smith, who Dirk Nowitzki credits with extending the basketball great's career to 21 seasons.
Employees told ESPN reporter Tim MacMahon that Smith was fired for being "too negative." Harrison is known for preferring a positive spin.
Between the lines: The Mavs were plagued with injuries before and after Dončić was traded. Davis was hurt in his first game, Kyrie Irving suffered a season-ending ACL injury, and Dereck Lively II missed months with a stress fracture.
Harrison said the fan anger stemmed from not seeing the winning team he envisioned.
"If we would've put the team that we intended to put on the floor, I think that would've quieted some of the outrage," Harrison said.
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