The Dallas Mavericks are in their post-Luka Dončić era earlier than anyone could have possibly expected. That apparently comes with some dangers.
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported Friday that the Mavericks plan to beef up security for their game against the Houston Rockets on Saturday, their first home game since trading away Dončić in a move that shocked the NBA and infuriated seemingly their entire fanbase.
The man who executed the move, general manager Nico Harrison, has reportedly been subject to death threats and racial epithets in its aftermath. Therefore he will not be in his normal seat in the stands, and ESPN also included a report on its chyron that a full-time security team in his protecting his home.
That kind of reaction is not surprising. The Dončić trade was that stunning. Players of Dončić’s age and caliber are almost never traded unless they specifically demand it, and by all accounts Dončić was ready to spend the rest of his career in Dallas.
The Mavericks also clearly knew the move would be unpopular, as they reportedly reached out only to the Los Angeles Lakers instead of shopping Dončić around, prioritizing secrecy to the point that they accepted a smaller package rather than allow L.A. to gauge his interest in an extension, which would have tipped him off that a move was coming.
Harrison tried to defend the trade return of Anthony Davis by saying “defense wins championships,” while reporters relayed concerns about Dončić’s conditioning and upcoming contract, but that might have just fanned the flames further.
Notably, Harrison was nowhere to be seen during Davis’ introductory news conference with the Mavericks on Friday. That represents a change from the team’s last similar move, as Harrison was present when introducing Kyrie Irving. The Mavericks also turned comments off during their YouTube stream of the Davis conference and have limited comments on their Instagram account.
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, meanwhile, was all smiles while he took questions sitting next to Dončić at the superstar’s Lakers introduction.
Harrison has been the Mavericks’ general manager since 2021, joining the team after 19 years as an executive at Nike.
