It's surprising that Nico Harrison didn't get canned by the Dallas Mavericks after the decision he made last year. Moving on from Luka Doncic simply didn't make sense, no matter how he tried to justify it.
Sure, there have been times throughout Doncic’s career when he looks out of shape, he isn't a great defender, and he has other problems, but so does nearly every other player in the NBA.
The truth of the matter is that Doncic is one of the top five players in this league and had taken the Mavericks to the NBA Finals just months before the team traded him.
The Mavericks lucked into getting Cooper Flagg, an acquisition that likely changed the franchise's trajectory.
However, adding Flagg could’ve made them go in a different direction.
And according to CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn, Harrison and the Mavericks didn't take the right one. Quinn noted that the Mavericks should’ve looked to rebuild around Flagg, and that Harrison’s decision to trade Doncic should've gotten him fired.
"The correct course here, especially with Kyrie Irving not to count on him playing this season, would have been to fire Harrison, tear down his team, and completely realign around Cooper Flagg's timeline..
"Is Flagg going to play out of position all year? Given the depth chart, he's presumably starting at small forward. Jason Kidd has even talked about letting him play some point guard. That's a fine developmental move. It won't help them win games right away,” he wrote.
MORE: Mark Cuban compares Cooper Flagg to NBA legend
It's tough to disagree with Quinn on Harrison being fired, but it's also important to note that the Mavericks are an excellent team, and if things go the way they can, there's a chance that Dallas will have an opportunity to win it all.