NBA rumors: What Mavericks GM Nico Harrison 'insists' about Anthony Davis
Yesterday at 06:44 PM
The Dallas Mavericks and general manager Nico Harrison made the shocking move to trade Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package that was headlined by Anthony Davis ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline. The deal made it apparent how Harrison values Davis, and we now have more details on how he is viewed by the Mavericks general manager.
“Sources familiar with Harrison’s thinking insist that he regards Davis, like Doncic, to be an unquestioned member of the league’s top 10 players when he is healthy,” Marc Stein reports.
It is not surprising to hear that Harrison thinks very highly of Davis, given that he was willing to part with Doncic to get him on the Mavericks’ roster. Harrison also cited defense as a reason for making the deal shortly after the transaction was agreed upon.
Harrison’s supposed view that Davis is a top-10 player in the NBA when healthy is not exactly an unpopular one. Many, and perhaps most fans, would agree that he is. However, Davis is 31 years old, in comparison to Doncic being 25. The move is clearly made with a win-now mindset, hoping that Davis raises the Mavericks’ championship ceiling in the short term. It was a large price to pay, as the Mavericks now will not be able to build around Doncic for the next decade. The long-term future is much less clear.
As far as Davis’ end, his agent, Rich Paul was surprised at the timing and for whom his client was traded for. However, he was not surprised at the destination, as he has known that Harrison has coveted Davis for a long time.
“This one was a shock,” Rich Paul said, via Marc Stein. “… The timing of it was a shock, who was involved was a shock, [but] the destination was not a shock, just based upon the relationship. AD has been someone that Nico has coveted since he got the job, so that’s not a shock to me.”
The Mavericks picked up a 116-105 win over the Houston Rockets in Davis’ debut with the team, in which he only played for 31 minutes to an injury scare. Davis insisted that he was fine after the contest however. Davis was highly effective in his minutes, showcasing the upside the current team now has.
Up next for the Mavericks is a home game on Monday against the Sacramento Kings.
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