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"Can you tell them to play more five-out?" Mark Cuban: "Well, it's going to be tough because we don't have enough three-point shooters, which is part of the problem, right? So, that was a long time complaining about that. We spent a lot of hours over the summer talking about just that. And that's something Patrick and I have talked about, right? You know, it's kind of a triangle. It's not like Nico and I talking about it. It's Nico talking to Patrick, and me talking to Patrick, and it's his job to assimilate all that and make a decision." "But I know he cares. I have no doubt in my mind that he wants to win a championship. But he's not me, you know? And he's going to do it his own way."
Zach Lowe: Is LeBron James unhappy that they traded Anthony Davis, his buddy, and his fellow clutch client, champion co-star? I don't really think so. I mean, there was an ESPN story a couple weeks ago about LeBron in this situation in which the reporting was that they understood that when Luka falls into your lap, you got to take him and if the price is AD, the price is AD. I don't even think Klutch was mad about AD going to Dallas. AD and Nico Harrison have been closed for a long time. I think that was sort of on their long-term radar anyway from what I had heard.
Some sources in Dončić’s inner circle believed he was on the path toward this kind of physical transformation whether or not Dallas general manager Nico Harrison had bet against him. Dončić and his management team began working with Maček and Barrio in 2023. One year later, he helped carry the Mavericks to the NBA Finals and immediately followed that by playing for his national team in Slovenia’s failed bid to make the Paris Olympics.
Grant Williams: I think Nico tried to do right by Luka
Grant Williams: "Now, I do think Nico tried to do right by Luka. Because I don’t think Luka ever wanted to leave Dallas — ever. But if he had to leave, the only teams he’d even consider going to were maybe: L.A. Miami Or another team of that level. So, in Nico’s mind, maybe he thought, ‘Okay, let me send him somewhere he’d accept.’" "But realistically — if Nico had gone to Luka, or even to his agent, and said, ‘Hey, this is the deal we’re thinking about…’ That would’ve made all the difference. Instead, it felt like it was just done — no heads-up, no respect."
Sirius XM NBA: “I let Steve Nash go, and the whole town hated my ass for a long time” 🤣🤣 @mcuban joins @termineradio, @jumpshot8, & Ryan McDonough - hear why he still has confidence in Nico Harrison Hear live Summer League shows all weekend long on NBA Radio! sxm.app.link/nbaradiolive pic.x.com/iBVqgus2O5
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D'Angelo Russell: "Nico, what's good? Hey, I can't believe I still got your number. I appreciate you, bro. I'm so excited — you really fit what we're trying to do." Nico Harrison: "Who you telling? I like when you get a chip on your shoulder." D'Angelo Russell: "Man, I like me with a chip on my shoulder. I haven’t seen it in a while. I'm here, and I'm excited, bro." Nico Harrison: "It's good. I got you, I got you. I know Klay's out here in Miami — that's where I'm at. We're probably going to start getting in the gym a little bit." D'Angelo Russell: "Okay. Cool, cool. Yeah, man..."
Jared Dudley: Thankful For Coach Kidd and Nico for giving me the opportunity to go from a Player to front bench coach.. Excited for my next chapter with Coach Adelman and the Denver Nuggets! Let’s get it!
Mark Cuban: For all the hell that Nico Harrison's gotten, he’s done a great job putting us in a really good position
During Friday’s news conference, Cuban and Dumont stood in the back, shoulder to shoulder, smiling throughout. Afterward, Cuban made it a point to praise publicly embattled Harrison. “For all the hell that Nico’s gotten, he’s done a great job putting us in a really good position,” Cuban said. That’s right: “Us.” Cuban, after all, still owns 27% of the franchise. Cuban certainly did not agree with the Doncic trade. And clearly Cuban has been surprised — shocked — to lose oversight and control of the basketball operations, after telling us at the time of the sale that it was part of the agreement.
Of course, landing Flagg was sheer luck, but Cuban noted how well-positioned to contend the Mavericks will be if Irving returns strongly from his torn ACL sometime after January. “The front office has done a great job of putting together a team where we can compete,” Cuban said. “A couple breaks here and there; Kyrie comes back; Cooper is who we expect him to be; and we can have a really, really good team.”
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Cuban was the GM. But Nico was the relationship guy. Cuban had his quants over here, the analysts and strategists over there— And Nico could get into rooms that Cuban either couldn’t or had pissed people off in. But then the sale happened. And somehow, Nico gets the confidence of the new owners. And all of a sudden, he’s doing things he wasn’t actually hired to do—like make a trade on his own."
Nico Harrison: 'We’re in win-now mode, and Cooper Flagg adds to that'
"Obviously, a great draft — but there was a consensus number one in this one. How does having Cooper change the trajectory of the franchise?" Nico Harrison: "I think it changes everything. We’re in win-now mode, and Cooper adds to that. But he’s also the future of the franchise. You get two in one, so to speak. It’s a perfect storm for us — we get to coach the number one pick who can help us win today and lead us into the future. We’re all blessed and excited."
Harrison said that structure will allow Flagg to grow without pressure. “He’ll be able to develop on his own time, whatever that is,” Harrison said. “We have the support to allow him to do that. We’ll be able to win when he’s having good games and also win when he’s not having his best.”
Harrison recalled that during Flagg’s visit, six Mavericks players took him to dinner. PJ Washington was at his workout and gave his immediate approval. “There’s no jealousy. I think guys are excited to play with him,” Harrison said. “When I asked PJ, ‘Do you think you guys can play together?’ He said, ‘Oh yeah, we can play together.'”
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