NBA front offices have made some questionable decisions over the years. Take the Hornets trading Kobe Bryant to the Lakers, for instance. However, none have drawn the ire of a fanbase more than Nico Harrison practically giving away Luka Doncic to the Lakers. And things have gotten so bad for the Dallas Mavericks GM that a former player took to social media to gloat after Luka’s return to Dallas as a Laker.
The Lakers beat the Mavericks pretty soundly tonight. And during the game, chants of “Fire Nico” reverberated throughout the American Airlines Center. The Dallas faithful just couldn’t handle watching their former talisman drop over 40 points on them. But unlike the upset fans in the arena, a current Sixers player loved what he saw tonight.
“77 !!!!!!!.” Quentin Grimes wrote on X, clearly in awe of Luka Doncic‘s performance against the Mavs tonight. Why is he celebrating his former team getting decimated by his former teammate? It’s simple, really.
Mirroring a lot of Mavs fans, Grimes also has a bone to pick with the Mavs’ GM, Nico Harrison.
77 !!!!!!!
— Quentin Grimes (@qdotgrimes) April 10, 2025
Just days after the Luka trade, we learned that Nico had chosen to trade Grimes to the Philadelphia 76ers. Fans were critical of the move back then. But they had no idea how right they were. You see, Grimes has continued to level up since then. He averages 22.6 points for his new team. And he remains a standout player for the Sixers despite them having a rough season.
And Grimes celebrating the Mavs’ loss just goes to show how badly the bridges were burned when Nico traded him. But Harrison has bigger things to worry about than Grimes’ enjoyment of his misery. That’s because the Luka Doncic trade had severe ramifications for the Dallas Mavericks. Ones that may cost them dozens of millions in the long run.
Dallas Mavericks set to lose millions after trading away Luka Doncic as Nico Harrison’s woes seem endless
During his time with the Mavs, Luka remained the most marketable player on that team. And both he and the Mavs flourished, with his merch selling like hotcakes and sponsors lining up to get him to endorse their products. But a report from ESPN reporter Tim McMahon has revealed that all this has pretty much evaporated since the Mavs traded Luka.
“It’s a decision, team sources told ESPN, that probably will cost the franchise nine figures over the next several years, as the Mavs are projected to lose dozens of millions in revenue this season due to dwindling crowds, plummeting merchandise sales and sponsors severing ties with the franchise in the wake of the trade,” wrote McMahon.
And even the fans—the one thing a club can count on in desperate times—have seemingly lost faith in them. “So many fans canceled season tickets in the days after the trade that the Mavs attempted to generate some goodwill by offering limited refunds.”
This seems like rock bottom for Nico now. Not only did he give away the Mavs’ best player to the Lakers; he also cost the team a lot of money—a 9-figure loss—in one fell swoop. On the other hand, Luka Doncic is thriving with the Lakers, making moves on and off the court. He recently filmed an ad with his sponsor, Gatorade. The ad showed Luka, seated, dribbling a ball with a towel draped over his neck. In what can only be perceived as a shot at Nico Harrison, the towel’s arrangement spelled out “TRAITOR.”
So Luka is both happy at the Lakers and benefiting from the deals and sponsorships he’s getting. On the other hand, Nico and the Mavs are struggling with their on-court fortunes, mirroring their luck off it.
Anyway, the NBA has seen a lot of firings recently. Michael Malone and Calvin Booth are the most recent. So don’t be surprised if you find Nico Harrison in the news soon for all the wrong reasons. But makes you wonder, what might Quentin Grimes tweet out then?
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