DALLAS — Nearly nine months ago, the Dallas Mavericks hired Nico Harrison to become their new general manager, taking over amidst a month of turmoil, upon the departure of longtime GM Donnie Nelson and head coach Rick Carlisle.
"I didn't realize what a hornets nest I was walking into," Harrison said with a laugh, before discussing how he went about taking control of the situation.
"Leadership is everything. Whenever there is a little bit of disarray, I think that's when leadership - you have to have it. That's when it's most important. So just being present, and then looking at it as an opportunity. Versus being like, 'oh, so much stuff has to change.' No, it's an opportunity. So come here, be present, and be the leader that they need," said Harrison.
It has to be noted, these remarks came during an interview taped on March 9, approximately a week before the news broke of Nelson's lawsuit against the Mavericks.
Harrison took over, and began leaving his imprint on the Mavericks roster, bringing in a few role players in Reggie Bullock and Sterling Brown. And then just before the trade deadline, he made his biggest move yet, trading Kristaps Porzingis to the Washington Wizards, netting Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans in the deal.
"The trade at the end of the day was really about the Mavericks, and how can we make us better," Harrison said. "It was less about Kristaps. A lot of people would say, 'oh, he's injured a lot.' And he was, but he's still a talented player... he would've had good games here, he's going to have good games wherever. I think we had an opportunity, really, in Davis and Spencer, to make our roster better. And that was ultimately the decision."
That move has worked out quite well so far, though. Dinwiddie has already hit a pair of game-winning threes for the Mavs, in his first few weeks in town.
"You want it to turn out that way," Harrison said. "But hey, it's basketball, it's cyclical. If we do this interview in a week, and who knows, Spencer had two bad games, can't hit a shot, why'd you make that trade?"
The trade was the latest step in the evolution of the Mavericks roster, that now needs to continue this summer in free agency, as Dallas tries to build a championship roster around superstar point guard Luka Doncic.
"I think we just continue to get the roster better. How do we get players that fit around Luka? And I don't think there's a magic bullet. I don't think there's one player that does it. I think you just continue to work it and work it, until you get that right combination."
Helpful in that process, though, will be Harrison's relationship with many of the biggest stars across the NBA, from his time working as a high-level executive with Nike.
"Dallas is going to get a seat at the table, for free agents that they want," Harrison said. "I'm not sure if Dallas had previously had a seat at the table. But, I think, and it's not just about me -- if you look at Jason Kidd, if you look at Mark Cuban -- between the collective group, we'll get a seat at the table, for sure."
To watch the entire, unedited 16-minute conversation with Nico, click below: