The Nico Harrison Trade

I don't know where to begin... but I'll try

Photo by Sean M. Haffey

The utter shock. I woke up here in Slovenia to millions of texts and emails. At the top of my screen, an email with the subject line: "Earthquake."

Luka fucking Dončić just got traded. To the Lakers.

And even after scrolling through X and other news for a couple of hours now... it still doesn’t make any sense. Yet.

I have a full day scheduled today, and the irony is almost too much. Tonight, I’m on my first TV broadcast of the season. Mavericks vs. Cavaliers, plus studio work with Luka’s dad Saša before and after.

So, I’ll save my full Luka column for tomorrow. You know I’m not the first-take, overreaction kind of guy. I’d rather let everything sink in, hear from some people, and then write my reaction. But I will tell you about my plans today.

The one thing I’ll say about this trade before getting to my plans: this will forever be known and remembered as "The Nico Harrison Trade."

It’s the trade that will define the Mavericks franchise for years to come. It’s the trade that will define the Lakers. The NBA. And Luka.

It’s the most shocking, most stunning move ever made by an NBA executive. Maybe it proves to be genius. Or complete ignorance. There is a fine line between the two.

But this will forever be The Nico Harrison Trade.

Forget Vlade Divac and the Kings. Forget Trae Young and the Hawks. Forget Deandre Ayton and the Suns. All the teams that bet against Luka.

This is the ultimate bet. The biggest gamble we’ve ever seen. And Harrison will always be remembered for it.

I’m sure a lot of information will come out in the next few days to help us understand. Or maybe we never truly will.

digginbasketball next steps…

Short term, I’ll shift from game coverage to big-picture team analysis—at least until the trade deadline. Previews and recaps don’t make sense right now with everything that’s about to happen. I expect follow-up moves from the Mavericks and from the Lakers. This will shake the rest of the NBA. Based on the numbers, feedback, and new subscribers, you guys liked the Trade Deadline Series and all trade stuff way more than anything I’ve written about games anyway.

So, I’ll try to cover this trade from every angle: the Mavs', the Lakers', Luka's, the NBA's, Kyrie’s, and Anthony Davis’ (who I always thought would be a great fit on the Mavs—but next to Luka), Dereck Lively II’s, even mine. Focusing on the trade deadline moves that make sense.

And you know I’ll still watch every Mavericks game. If anything important happens, I’ll either write about it or we’ll talk about it in the chat.

And the future? What happens with digginbasketball long term?

So many people are asking if I’ll be a Lakers fan now? If I’ll start writing about the Lakers? And the honest answer is—I don’t know. This is such a shock, and it’s too soon for me to even think about that. What I do know is that I love Dallas. I love Texas. I’ve gotten to know so many great people—people I can call friends. On the Mavericks, around the team, and of course, you guys. The fans. I appreciate every single subscriber and all the support.

So for sure, I won’t quit on you guys. I’ll keep trying to makes sense of this fascinating Mavericks season. One that started with so much hope and excitement, the best Mavericks team in a long time. And one that just changed in a way no one could have predicted, not even in the wildest dreams.

For Luka fans, my Slovenian subscribers, and potential Lakers fans that come onboard, I’ll write about Luka and the Lakers in detail as well.

Basketball-wise, this Sunday has been the craziest day of my life, and it’s only just begun. And like everyone else I’ll need some time to process it.

But no matter what happens next, I’ll be here, writing much more about the wildest trade in NBA history, Luka, and the Mavs soon…