It’s been almost 3 weeks since Luka Doncic got traded to the Lakers– and considering the hype it got, it doesn’t seem to be dying down anytime soon. But as time passes the situation seems to unfold itself more. The deal was kept tight under covers- and that was all down to Nico Harrison’s usual MO as GM of the Dallas Mavericks.
According to an article released by The Athletic, the Lakers weren’t the only team contacted by the Harrison. Nico’s known for operating in silence- which stems from his experience of working as one of Nike’s NBA player representatives. The team of reps dubbed themselves “The Seals’, because of the quietness, they like to work with matches just of the Navy Seals. He’d decided to trade Doncic a while ago- something he didn’t choose to tell the rest of the league to avoid a bidding war for one of the most sought-after athletes in the world.
He’d only told the Lakers GM Rob Pelinka about it, and that’s only due to pre-existing trust between the pair when Pelinka was Kobe Bryant‘s agent and Nico was his rep at Nike. Harrison’s known for keeping his lips sealed- to a point that not even Utah Jazz, who was involved in the deal, knew about Doncic until it was finalized. But despite it being the best kept secret- his decision to trade Doncic wasn’t as arbitrary as it initially seemed to be.
Feb 12, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) warms up before a game against the Utah Jazz at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images
Had Doncic remained in the Mavs, he’d have been eligible to sign a five-year, $345 million contract in July. This was on Doncic’s mind from the get-go, but Nico wasn’t on the same wavelength. This prompted the Mavs GM to trade who he thought was a ‘disgruntled’ star for a more culturally fit and defensive-minded Anthony Davis. Oh and did you know that the Mav front office was anyways appalled by something they had seen Luka do? It definitely influenced the trade.
Mavs front office grew ‘terrified’ of Doncic
Nico Harrison’s also notoriously known for being a fitness freak. He often greets his friends with a ‘What did you eat today?’, and occasionally begins conversations quizzing friends on their health habits. Doncic’s fitness has been a huge talking point as of late. While it’s not unusual for someone of his age to do so, it was fully against the culture Nico wanted to set at the Mavs.
On the ‘My First Million’ podcast, Haralabos Voulgaris, a Mavericks executive from 2018 to 2021 said that the whole front office grew terrified of El Matador. The Slovenian is averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 7.8 assists this season for the Mavs. But this rich form isn’t proof of his off-court habits, something that didn’t sit well with the Mavs front office.
“He doesn’t take his conditioning seriously, he doesn’t take his diet seriously. This is all true… It’s a unique situation in that every person who worked at the Mavericks, except for me, was terrified of this guy, and either wanted to kiss his ass while he was there so they could secure their future…” said Gambler Bob on the podcast. He also mentioned the use of a ‘sauna jacket’ that pro ballers usually use while playing to lose weight. Yikes.
Voulgaris also revealed the negligence of then-majority stakeholder of the Mavs Mark Cuban and the likes when it came to his fitness. He noticed the sauna jacket during a random practice session which was attended by Cuban himself. He saw Doncic pour himself a huge glass of sweet tea from a massive container- something Voulgaris pointed out to Mark, after which he was told by the billionaire to ‘stay in his lane’. “I know liquid calories are death. And Mark was like, ‘Oh, stay in your lane, you don’t know what you’re talking about, we got experts in this…” the Greek-Canadian gambler continued.
Luka practicing in a sauna suit to lose weight pic.twitter.com/K8Srlmrj1G
— Shaan Puri (@ShaanVP) February 4, 2025
These all looked like red flags for Nico Harrison, who decided he had to get rid of the Slovenian for the better future of the Mavs. He still eyes the Larry O’Brien trophy- he just knows he won’t get it with Luka on the team. And as revealed, this wasn’t just due to his inability to maintain fitness, but also the attitude that got the whole front office to watch themselves in front of him.
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