Dallas’ favorite maverick won’t be wearing the No.77 anymore. Luka Doncic’s sudden goodbye doesn’t feel real. It’s a dream, right? Someone will wake the fans up and tell them they are in deep slumber. But no, that’s for you to console yourself. The Dallas Mavericks GM, Nico Harrison has done his deed, and hate it or love it, the magician is a Laker now. However, some (read: most) fans and experts of the game just cannot make peace with what unfolded on Saturday.

One such expert is Austin Rivers. His anger and disappointment with the Mavs front office only makes so much sense. Yes, you’re bringing a championship winner Anthony Davis. But, you do not push away a 25-year-old star like Doncic. Just seven or eight months ago, he helped the team make its way to the NBA Finals! Is it so easy to forget what players like the Slovenian 5x All-Star guard do for the franchise? Surely not.

Austin Rivers was in shock. He couldn’t believe what he read in Shams Charania’s tweet. Let’s just say, he’s not over it, the trade, I mean. And thus, the ex-Nuggets star doesn’t want to miss an opportunity to call out the Dallas Mavericks GM, Nico Harrison.

Nikola Jokic’s ex-teammate takes a foul jab at Mavs GM after Luka Doncic trade

On Off Guard with Austin Reaves, Nikola Jokic’s ex-teammate took his time to ‘disrespect’ Luka Magic’s ex-GM. He said: “What the hell do you know about winning a championship?” Nico Harrison’s never won one. Meanwhile, “this guy [Luka Doncic] just took you to the finals last year, if I’m not mistaken.” And now, it’s all about championships? Sure, “defense wins championships.” But when the Nuggets won in 2023, their best player was “Nikola.” Not exactly a defensive powerhouse. Same with the Warriors in 2022. “Who’s their best player? Steph Curry.” Not the best defender either. So, does the best player really need to be elite on defense? “Not when you do what Luka does.”

River pointed out at the Minnesota Timberwolves star Rudy Gobert—“a four-time Defensive Player of the Year.” Yet, “Luka just dropped a game-winner right over his head.” And let’s not forget, the Mavericks were “three games away from a championship with Luka.” That’s not far at all. A couple of things go your way, and it’s a different story. The Celtics were dominant last season, sure. But “you” faced them at their absolute peak. “A prime, peaking Boston Celtics team, who was beyond hungry to prove everyone wrong to win.” They steamrolled a weakened East.

By the finals, the C’s were unstoppable. A “healthy Porzingis” made them even scarier. But imagine if it was the year before. “If it was that Miami team in the finals, the Mavs would have beaten them.” The whole conversation would change. The Mavs would be champions. “The Mavs would be talking about everything else.” It would be different.

So, a team like the Dallas Mavericks, who depended so much on Doncic, suddenly wanted to trade him, also because he was 270 pounds? Doesn’t make so much sense. I mean, a player who was averaging 28.1 points per game before being sidelined due to an ankle sprain cannot simply be sent away just like that. Besides, most experts are doubtful about the chemistry they’re manifesting between LeBron James and Luka Doncic. Meanwhile, Rivers has chosen to call the trade, “awful.” 

It’s safe to say, the former NBA player isn’t happy at all.

Austin Rivers remains in disbelieve after Saturday’s blockbuster

Austin Rivers admitted, “I didn’t know what to do. I was just antsy. I was like, just walking around the house. Couldn’t sit down.” He wasn’t alone. The trade was so stunning, that he had to call his dad—Bucks HC Doc Rivers—for answers. “I called my dad. Called different people. Whoever’s going to answer.” He needed to vent. He needed to understand. “Just due to the fact that this trade was—it’s just so beyond shocking. And it’s not only what happened. It’s how it happened.”

Harrison’s decision to trade Luka Doncic remains a mystery, possibly one meant for the “UNSOLVED” files. To Austin Rivers, “the trade is awful.” But it’s not just the move—it’s the way it happened. The deal and the trade came out of nowhere. Who would’ve thought something of this sort was secretly brewing?

Rivers needs answers. “I need to understand why it’s happening.” More importantly, why didn’t the Mavs test the market with Luka Doncic? “Why didn’t they go to market with him or call 15 teams and shop him around?” Instead, they went straight to one team. No competition. No real bidding war. That alone made him suspicious. “Which made me believe? Okay, so this is only personal.”

Simply put, things don’t look so enticing for Nico Harrison at this point. But whatever was supposed to happen, happened. Luka Doncic is in LA waiting for his debut in Purple and Gold’s jersey no.77. Meanwhile, AD and Max Christie will pair up with Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson and try recreating the thrill the Dallas Mavericks offered their fans last season.