DALLAS — Before Nico Harrison started his end-of-season interview Tuesday afternoon, the Mavericks’ general manager walked past the microphone at the podium and grabbed a bottle of water off the table in the far corner.
A reporter joked he might need something stronger.
Harrison faked like he was returning for a bottle of Snapple juice instead before settling in for a nearly half-hour news conference.
No drink nor humor, however, could’ve dulled Harrison’s disappointment in the Mavericks’ first playoff-less season since Luka Doncic’s rookie year and the difficult questions he faced as the team approaches a roster overhaul this offseason.
Among the topics Harrison addressed Tuesday: superstar Kyrie Irving’s upcoming free agency negotiations, Doncic’s long-term future with the franchise and the NBA’s investigation into the team leadership’s decision to hold out top players in the final two games, prioritizing draft lottery positioning instead of slim play-in tournament hopes.
Consider Tuesday the first of many postseason-free days to now spend searching for answers about the Mavericks’ looming changes.
“To fans that are frustrated, they should be frustrated,” Harrison said. “Like, I’m frustrated. This year is not acceptable. Nobody can be harder on myself than I am. I take my job serious and wins and losses and not reaching our goals — I feel for them, and the only confidence I can give them is we’re going to evaluate everything, and we’re not going to be in this position again.”
Let’s start with the topic Harrison labeled as TBD.
The NBA last week opened an investigation into whether the Mavericks violated anti-tanking policies by resting five players and limiting Doncic’s playing time in their Friday loss to the Chicago Bulls.
Coach Jason Kidd said before that game his “bosses” decided to forgo their play-in tournament chances, which hinged on winning and Oklahoma City’s results, to boost the Mavericks’ odds of keeping the top-10 protected first-round pick they owe to the Knicks in June to complete the 2019 Kristaps Porzingis trade.
Losing Friday allowed Dallas to finish the regular season with a worse record than the Bulls and secure the 10th-best lottery odds.
What did Harrison think about the NBA’s response? ”I don’t know much,” Harrison said. “There’s not really much I can comment on on an ongoing investigation.”
What contributed to the Mavericks’ decision to forgo their final play-in push, a move Doncic said he “didn’t like” and for which Kidd said he had no involvement? ”It’s a great question,” Harrison said. “I would love to dive super deep into it with you guys, but it’s an active investigation, so I can’t comment on it. Again, eventually there’s going to be a resolution, and at that point I’ll be able to dive into it.”
Harrison also declined to delve into specifics about Irving’s pending free agency, though he said he has “optimism” the 31-year-old guard will want to return.
In free agency, Irving can receive contract offers up to $272 million over five years with the Mavericks, who own his Bird rights after the trade, or about $202 million over four years from another team.
Owner Mark Cuban labeled re-signing Irving as the Mavericks’ top priority during an impromptu media session April 5 — a similar refrain he used before Jalen Brunson’s departure last summer — but said “I guess there’s always too high a price” when asked whether another franchise might again outbid Dallas.
Harrison also declined to discuss whether the Mavericks consider Irving a max-contract-worthy investment.
“When you talk about money and years,” Harrison said. “I don’t think that’s fair to talk about that because that’s going to be part of the negotiations when we’re allowed to actually do it. But Kyrie’s definitely somebody that we want here, and we’re excited about the potential of him being here.”
After Irving declined to hold an exit interview during the Mavericks’ final player availabilities Sunday, significant questions still linger around the mercurial All-Star guard and his viability as a long-term co-star with Doncic.
Though he worked as a model teammate in two months since the trade deadline, will the end of Irving’s pending free agency lead to more history of personal controversy and dramatics after receiving long-term financial stability? Why did the Mavericks finish this season with a 5-11 record in games Doncic and Irving played together?
”That’s another great question,” Harrison said. “When you have that talented of a player, that talented of two players, I think they work together. I really think it’s the players around them. I think the players around them kind of knowing their role with having those two guys out on the floor at the same time. I think that’s the thing that we need to work on.”
Harrison emphasized the need to improve the team’s defense and rebounding, and his desire to add more players who can visualize and anticipate the game like Doncic and — assuming his return — Irving.
The Mavericks’ upcoming list of free agents also includes rotation centers Dwight Powell and Christian Wood and reserves Theo Pinson, Frank Ntilikina, Markieff Morris and Justin Holiday.
“When you have two guys at that level, you’ve got to have players that can think the game and not just play it,” Harrison said. “To have both of them at the same time, I think you need surrounding players that have a high IQ.”
While Harrison often repeated “everyone has to be evaluated,” he was resolute about Kidd having his full backing to return as head coach and about Doncic’s continued involvement in roster-building feedback.
Harrison didn’t divulge what he covered in Doncic’s exit meeting Monday, but said the conversation served only as a continuation of their frequent discussions.
He highlighted Doncic’s forceful statement Sunday, countering reported fears of him requesting a disgruntled trade, as a sign of leadership and pointed to the Mavericks’ hope for a winning reboot in 2023-24 as the franchise’s most obvious path to keeping Doncic satisfied in Dallas.
“I take his words for it,” Harrison said. “He says he wants to be here. He’s under contract, so I don’t go to sleep at night worried about ‘Is Luka going to be a Maverick?’ because he is a Maverick and he’s under contract.
“Obviously if that changes, then we’ll have to reevaluate it, but I think our job really to keep Luka happy, if you will, is surround him [with] the right players to help him win. I think Luka’s a talent that deserves that.”
