Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison has seemingly come under fire from all corners ever since Luka Doncic was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in February. It is arguably the most shocking trade in NBA history and for all the wrong reasons as far as Mavericks fans are concerned.
To make matters worse for Harrison, Anthony Davis, the big piece he got in return for Doncic, got injured on his Mavericks debut. A host of injuries then followed, to make this 2024-25 season possibly the most disappointing one in franchise history.
Harrison has gotten a lot of the blame for everything falling apart, but former NBA star Carlos Boozer reckons he has done a pretty good job. Boozer appeared on “Get Up” on Tuesday, where he praised the Mavericks GM for building a team that can contend for a title when healthy.
“I actually like this team when they’re completely healthy,” Boozer said on Get Up. “Kyrie [Irving] was having an outstanding season, I think [Daniel] Gafford’s definitely made a huge step from when he was with the [Washington] Wizards coming to Dallas. [Dereck] Lively’s did another step as well.
“AD in the middle, the scoring, the rebounding, the assisting,” Boozer continued. “The shooting of Klay Thompson, they have P.J. Washington, we forgot about him. He’s like the forgotten man. They have great pieces on that team. Nico did a good job of putting a really good team together for now. So, for next year, they’re gonna be a contender if they’re healthy.”
“Next year, they’re going to be a contender if they’re healthy.”
👀 @MisterCBooz on the Dallas Mavericks pic.twitter.com/bljOjiZWQ9
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) March 25, 2025
The Mavericks do have a good roster and are capable of making noise if healthy, but that’s a big if. Davis has just returned from injury after being out for nearly two months, while Kyrie Irving is unlikely to play again in 2025 after tearing his ACL.
Harrison has built this team around two stars who are over the age of 30 and have a bit of an injury history. While there was an element of bad luck involved with Irving’s ACL tear and Davis’ adductor injury, there was always a good chance that their bodies would break down at some point.
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Even if there were no injury concerns surrounding Davis, trading Doncic was the wrong move, as he gave the Mavericks the best chance of winning a title. Harrison had built a very good team around the Slovenian, and all he had to do was keep adding more solid pieces around him. Instead, he pressed the nuke button.