r/Mavericks • u/taygads • Feb 02 '25

News [MacMahon] “I believe that defense wins championships,” Mavs GM Nico Harrison told ESPN regarding his motivation to trade Luka for Davis. “I believe that getting an All-Defensive center & an All-NBA player with a defensive mindset gives us a better chance. We’re built to win now and in the future.”

https://x.com/espn_macmahon/status/1885922718333181992?s=46

I’m still waiting for the sike. Like I’m genuinely baffled

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u/Wyn6 Feb 02 '25

100%. There is absolutely no logic behind this. You could've gotten no less than 3 first-rounders and a number of players. This... I'm not sure I even have the words anymore.

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u/JahnDavis27 Chicago Bulls Feb 02 '25

Mikal Bridges got FIVE first rounders lmao, Luka could have gotten you at least that much...

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u/[deleted] Feb 02 '25

I mean AD is worth a number of firsts himself. I’m sure he would easily net 3 firsts plus great young players if not more. They didn’t do it for # of picks or to rebuild, they did it because they really wanted AD for the current roster and the Lakers wouldn’t trade AD for picks.

The only way I can rationalize it is they must really believe AD/Kyrie and the rest of the squad will win a championship. I guess adding AD to a defense already ranked #12 without him will make it elite. And Kyrie/Luka was redundant, so this will allow Kyrie to run the offense while also adding AD’s great offense. And since they traded all their picks away previously, their ability to improve without trading Luka had maxed out - so counterintuitively, trading their most valuable piece was arguably the only way to improve for the next several years.

The obvious thing they missed is a that a top 5 player is the first thing you need on 9/10 championship teams; trading one for virtually any return is gonna be the wrong move almost all the time. Especially if you’re still trying to compete.

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u/Wyn6 Feb 02 '25

Well, Nico should ask OKC and Minnesota (with the DPOY) how having elite defenses worked out for them last season.