UPDATE, 9:33 a.m. Tuesday: The Dallas Mavericks will fire GM Nico Harrison today. Click here to read the full story.
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Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers reflected on the Luka Doncic trade shortly before his team defeated the Dallas Mavericks in a thrilling 116-114 victory on Monday night.
“Yeah, I thought it was AI just like everyone else,” Rivers said. “I was shocked.”
Mavericks
If Rivers thought what’s been described as the most shocking trade in NBA history was artificial, the same logic could’ve applied to a stunning display in the third quarter of Monday’s game, had it not been for visual evidence.
A teenager wearing a gold Los Angeles Lakers version of Doncic’s No. 77 jersey sat next to Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont for several minutes while the two shared a conversation Monday. The scene was perplexing, given Dumont was a strong supporter of general manager Nico Harrison’s decision to deal Doncic to the Lakers in exchange for a package headlined by Anthony Davis.
The Dallas Morning News had a brief conversation with 18-year-old Nicholas Dickason late in the fourth quarter to gather more information on his interaction with the Mavericks’ lead decision-maker.
Dickason, a native of Preston Hollow and freshman student at SMU, is part of an enraged sector of the Mavericks’ fanbase who’ve voiced their displeasure with the franchise’s decision to trade Doncic. He said the brief conversation Monday stemmed from an inappropriate gesture he made toward Dumont following the Mavericks’ opening-night loss to San Antonio on Oct. 22.
“When I was on the way out, I was talking smack to Patrick and ended up flipping him off on my way out of the game,” Dickason told The News. “My dad saw me flip Patrick off and was like, ‘That’s not OK. The next time you’re at a game, you have to apologize to Patrick.”
Dumont smiled several times throughout the conversation and was receptive to the apology, Dickason said, while stating the governor admitted to a level of remorse for the unpopular decision.
“He said he was trying to do what’s best for the organization,” Dickason said, “and ‘Sometimes you have good intentions and you make mistakes.’ We all do it.”
Although a portion of Dickason’s talk with Dumont centered on the trade and his history as a Mavericks fan. He says his dad has been a season ticket holder for nearly 10 years and he’s followed the team since he was “4 or 5” years old.
Dickason wore Doncic’s new jersey on opening night as well as a form of protest, but he said he remains a Mavericks fan.
“I like Luka. I want to root for him to win but as much as I try to root for the Lakers, I’m rooting for the Mavericks through and through,” Dickason said. “I’d rather root for a 3-8 Mavericks team than a winning-record Lakers team.”
One of several “Fire Nico!” chants from the fourth quarter of Monday’s game broke out while Dickason said the aforementioned comment. The blatant form of displeasure for the Mavericks general manager reached its peak as more questions surround Harrison’s job status in Dallas.
Despite Dickason’s public vote against the infamous deal and inappropriate gesture, he wanted to highlight his apology to Dumont.
“I shouldn’t have flipped him off on opening night,” Dickason said. “Heat of the moment thing, and I had to go apologize for that. He was very receptive and very open to talking about the Mavericks.”
On Twitter/X: @MikeACurtis2
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