The friction between Nico Harrison and his front office against Luka Doncic’s camp factored into the decision made by the Dallas Mavericks to trade him to the Los Angeles Lakers, sources tell ESPN.
One of the first fractures came when Harrison fired Casey Smith, who joined the Mavericks in 2004 as head athletic trainer and eventually became the team’s director of health and performance.
The reason for the dismissal centered on Smith being “too negative,” according to sources briefed on the discussion.
“He was 100 percent threatened by him,” a team source told ESPN, referring to Harrison’s concern that Smith’s voice carried too much weight with the franchise. “He’s going to show that I’m in charge and nobody else can question that.”
Smith’s departure was followed by the dismissals of athletic performance director Jeremy Holsopple and manual therapist Casey Spangler in June, only days removed from Dallas’ appearance in the NBA Finals. Smith, Holsopple and Spangler had been close to Doncic and helped him in his transition to the NBA.
The decision to fire Smith also led Dirk Nowitzki to no longer be involved in the inner workings of the Mavericks’ basketball operations.
The tension between Harrison and Doncic’s camp increased when he sustained a left calf strain on Christmas Day. Doncic’s side believed he had returned too quickly from a left heel bruise, while Harrison blamed poor conditioning. The Mavericks believed Doncic could return in two or three weeks, while Doncic’s side was adamant he needed six weeks out. Doncic also refused Harrison’s request to join the Mavericks on a road trip in order to focus on his conditioning.
Harrison griped that Doncic was holding the team hostage, sources said. Harrison insisted that Doncic needed to scrimmage, but Doncic’s camp countered that he would be happy to practice with the Texas Legends in Frisco. Doncic’s camp didn’t hear from Harrison again until he was traded to the Lakers.