A new report says Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont is frustrated with general manager Nico Harrison for not warning him about the fallout from trading Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers. The trade, considered one of the most shocking in NBA history, has dominated headlines for months.
Many initially believed Harrison had Dumont’s full support, or at least his approval, to make the move. But that may not have been the whole story.
Did Nico Harrison Have Patrick Dumont’s Consent To Trade Luka Dončić?
When news broke that Dallas had traded away its franchise cornerstone, most of the blame quickly landed on Harrison. He and Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka reportedly held private talks and worked out the details of the deal behind the scenes. Still, there’s no way the trade could’ve gone through without Dumont’s approval.
Tim Cato of The Athletic, who has covered the Mavericks for years, reported that while Dumont did sign off on the trade, he later regretted the decision.
According to Cato, Dumont blames Harrison for not giving him a heads-up about the intense backlash. It seemed Dumont had put a lot of trust in Harrison, and now that trust is wavering.
“However, those team sources consistently express belief that Dumont no longer sees Harrison as a figure with irreproachable basketball expertise. Most notably, team and league sources say, Dumont has had frustration with Harrison not warning him — or, perhaps even more damningly, being unaware — of the fandom’s outrage following the trade.
“Those same sources say it had some influence over Dumont’s decision to make Harrison appear for last week’s closed media event, which Harrison did not want to.”
Dallas Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont was reportedly frustrated with Nico Harrison for not warning him how the fanbase would react to a Luka Dončić trade, per @tim_cato
“However, those team sources consistently express belief that Dumont no longer sees Harrison as a figure… pic.twitter.com/TAkSwVRlLa
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 21, 2025
Forcing Harrison to attend a media event he didn’t want to be part of may not be a true punishment, but it shows Dumont is trying to shift public perception. The report also makes it clear: Harrison led the charge to trade Dončić, setting everything in motion.
Not everyone is buying Dumont’s claim of being blindsided. Trading a superstar like Dončić, who is still in his prime and has never publicly expressed interest in leaving, without fully considering the backlash is tough for many fans and analysts to comprehend.
Either way, it seems Dumont wants to distance himself from the fallout. If frustration continues to build — and it will only grow stronger if Dončić and the Lakers continue to advance in the playoffs — he may try to appease the fan base by removing Harrison altogether.
“Patrick doesn’t know basketball, and he knows he doesn’t.” 😬
– An anonymous source on Mavericks Owner Patrick Dumont
(Via @TheAthletic ) pic.twitter.com/uyYbjTPUfl
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 9, 2025
To make matters worse for the Mavs and Dumont, an anonymous also claimed a few weeks ago, “Patrick [Dumont] doesn’t know basketball, and he knows he doesn’t.” This only adds to the bad reputation that Dumont has created for himself. It would be interesting to see how he responds to all the backlash, and wins over Mavs fans again.
