Report: Nico Harrison felt like Luka Doncic was holding Mavs ‘hostage’ in time leading up to trade

Not all that long before his stint with the Dallas Mavericks ended, star guard Luka Doncic suffered a calf strain in the team’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Christmas Day.

Apparently, Doncic’s camp and some within the Mavericks organization had conflicting views on how much time the Slovenian should miss with the injury.

Mavericks director of player health and performance Johann Bilsborough reportedly thought Doncic could be back in merely two or three weeks, while Doncic’s camp implored that he needed more time.

“The tension between the sides soared after Doncic sustained another left calf strain — his fourth in a 28-month span — on Christmas Day,” ESPN’s Tim MacMahon wrote. “Doncic’s camp believed he had returned too quickly from a left heel bruise he had sustained during his 45-point triple-double in a Dec. 15 win over the Golden State Warriors and had been playing on his toes to avoid discomfort in his heel. [Nico] Harrison blamed poor conditioning.”

“The sides also drastically disagreed on the timetable for Doncic’s return after receiving the MRI results. Bilsborough believed Doncic could be back in two or three weeks, sources said, while Doncic’s team adamantly stated that he needed to sit out six weeks. They got their way, and a target return date was set for the Feb. 8 home game against the Houston Rockets.

‘”That deepened the divide,’ a source said.

“Doncic didn’t put any weight on his left leg for two weeks, using crutches and a scooter to get around. The MRI results four weeks later were encouraging but the plan remained in place.”

Doncic then reportedly refused to accompany the Mavericks on a lengthy road trip at a time when his target return date was looming, and Harrison claimed Doncic was holding the team hostage with such a move.

“Another major disagreement emerged between the sides when Doncic refused Harrison’s request to join the team on a five-game trip leading up to his target return date,” MacMahon wrote.

“Harrison griped that Doncic was holding the team hostage, sources said.

“Doncic’s camp argued that he was better off having around-the-clock access to the Mavs’ practice facility than traveling with the team. It pointed out that Doncic was doing two-a-day, multihour basketball workouts, which wouldn’t be possible with court time difficult to book on the road. He also could utilize the weight room and the high-tech medical equipment at his convenience, which isn’t the case in other team’s arenas and hotels.

“Harrison countered, insisting that Doncic needed to scrimmage. Doncic’s camp, in response, said he’d be happy to practice with the G League Texas Legends in Frisco, a Dallas suburb.

“The next time Doncic’s camp heard from Harrison, it was to share the news that the trade he’d been secretly negotiating for weeks with the [Los Angeles] Lakers was finalized.”

In the days leading up to the trade deadline, Doncic was dealt from the Mavericks to the Lakers in a three-team deal. The Lakers received Doncic along with Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris, while Dallas netted Anthony Davis (the centerpiece of the return), Max Christie and a first-round pick. The Utah Jazz, the third team involved, landed Jalen Hood-Schifino and draft capital.

The timing of the trade was shocking from Dallas’ side of the coin in the sense that Doncic is still quite the spring chicken and just recently helped the Mavericks to their first NBA Finals appearance in some time. Dallas made a surprise run to the NBA Finals last year, and Doncic averaged 28.9 points, 9.5 rebounds and 8.1 assists per contest across 22 games played in the 2024 playoffs.

Plus, the trade has aged incredibly poorly to this point for Dallas, as the wheels fell off for the Mavericks after the team traded Doncic. The defending Western Conference champions saw their season end in the play-in tournament with a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies after Dallas won just 39 games in the 2024-25 regular season.

While the Mavericks imploded, the Lakers finished the regular season on a high note with Doncic in the fold and secured a top-three seed in the Western Conference. Los Angeles dropped Game 1 of its first-round playoff series to the Timberwolves, but the team will have a chance to tie up the series with a win on Tuesday night.