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NBA Legend Had Unexpected Words for Nico Harrison After Luka Doncic Trade

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Elie Deglaoui | Last updated May 23, 2025 1:19 PM ET

Back in February, the Dallas Mavericks and general manager Nico Harrison shocked the basketball world by trading star Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis and Max Christie. This trade came out of nowhere and arguably stands alone as the biggest trade in recent NBA history.

Since the trade went down, many have criticized Harrison's decision to move on from their franchise player less than a year removed from an NBA Finals appearance. It remains to be seen how this deal works out for both teams, but early on, the results do not look great for Dallas as they missed out on the playoffs this year, though they landed the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.

A few months after the Doncic trade, NBA legend Gary Payton gave his thoughts and made a surprising statement.

Payton made his opinions known on the blockbuster deal in a recent appearance on the Club 520 Podcast. During his interview, the former Lakers guard unexpectedly supported Harrison for making the deal and said "it wasn't his call" to ship the Slovenian native out.

"It wasn’t [Harrison's] call to make that decision," Payton said about Dallas' decision to trade Doncic. "He made a decision based on what he was told to do—what was supposed to be done—and that’s what they did."

Amidst all the criticism Harrison has received for trading Doncic, Payton's comments are a bit surprising. Regardless, Dallas must move forward and aim to get back on track next season. After landing the No. 1 pick and likely drafting Cooper Flagg in June, the Mavericks could be in a good spot to do exactly that.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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