It really doesn’t feel like the Luka Dončić trade was only one year ago Sunday. It just can’t be 12 months since the Dallas Mavericks pulled the most shocking trade in NBA history, a move that permanently altered the course of two franchises. It can’t be 365 days since the news broke in the middle of the night that, yes, Nico Harrison really did that.

And yet, it is. We have reached the anniversary of the deal that sent Dončić (plus Markieff Morris and Maxi Kleber) to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a first-round pick in 2029.

You probably know how that worked out.

It might feel long ago because the trade has already been chiseled into NBA lore as a complete catastrophe, a story of hubris and jealousy ripped from the theater of ancient Greece. There is already a beginning (the trade), a middle (the surprise hope of Mavs rookie Cooper Flagg after a disappointing end to the season) and an end (Harrison’s firing).

It is easy to say with the benefit of hindsight that trading Dončić — and trading Dončić in the way the Mavericks did, in the dead of night with no teams to bid against the Lakers — was a stupid move. 

The funny thing is no one needed the benefit of hindsight to call that move dumb the second it was reported. Immediate reactions to the trade ranged from shocked to dumbfounded to enraged, with little support for the Mavs’ side of the deal.

There was, of course, one proponent of the deal for Dallas. Harrison defended the trade for months, right up until his firing in November. He acted like a man with “Fargo’s” “What if you’re right and they’re wrong?” poster hanging in his office.

Unfortunately, this is a case where they (meaning everyone) were right and Harrison was wrong.

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To understand just how wrong Harrison was about this trade, let’s revisit his stated justifications for the trade, as well as the ones leaked by a Mavericks front-office employee who may or may not have been Harrison. The reasons broke down into the following points:

• Defense wins championships.

• Dončić had bad conditioning and wasn’t properly committed to the team.

• A five-year, $345 million supermax deal for Dončić would have been unacceptably risky.

We could interrogate those further, and also note that a personality clash/turf war between Harrison and Dončić very much seems to be the real reason, but let’s keep this simple. Complaining about Luka Dončić, who had just led you to the NBA Finals, being injury-prone and not the right centerpiece for your franchise and replacing him with 31-year-old Anthony Davis, of all people, was a fireable offense from the moment the trade got sent to the NBA office.

Harrison thought he had made a savvy move, and then watched the world be so shocked he would do such a thing that several people honestly believed ESPN’s Shams Charania had been hacked when he broke news of the trade. The idea of an NBA insider’s password leaking was more believable than, “No, the Mavericks really just traded Luka Dončić.”

That group included NBA players:

An overwhelming majority of Mavericks fans immediately hated the trade, to the point of fan protests, vandalism, “Fire Nico” signs, “Fire Nico” chants at a college basketball game and increased security at Mavericks games and Harrison’s home.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, one of the team’s most famous fans, wasn’t happy either.

Former Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban, who hired Harrison and then got sidelined after new controlling owner Patrick Dumont took over, immediately made clear he had no part in it.

Cuban later said he “didn’t agree” with the trade and chastised the team he still owns a stake of for not even looking for a better return. That was the most criticized aspect of the trade.

You don’t want Dončić anymore? Fine. Most executives — perhaps every GM in the league but one — would have then reached out to teams and tried to start a bidding war, which would have almost certainly netted a plethora of draft picks as well as a player you can start building around. Mikal Bridges got the Brooklyn Nets five first-round picks. Rudy Gobert got the Utah Jazz four firsts, a pick swap and Walker Kessler. James Harden got four first-round picks and four pick swaps. Paul George got five firsts and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

That path, however, presented a problem for Harrison. He clearly knew what the reaction would have been, and perhaps didn’t like his odds of pulling it off had word reached Dončić or Cuban. So he did it with as little movement as possible, reaching out to the Lakers and nailing down the trade.

Many media members, and executives, couldn’t believe the Mavericks really did it.

Dozens of NBA players blasted the trade in private in a Sports Illustrated article:

“It’s one of the worst basketball decisions I’ve ever seen.”

“I don’t think they should have traded him. No way. And this is just the short term right now. We’ll see where it’s at five years from now. But you just can’t do that. No way.”

“Dallas did Luka Dončić wrong.”

“Terrible decision. If (Dončić) came in weighing 500 pounds, so what? He’s still averaging damn near a 30-point triple-double.”

“(I) didn’t agree with it. You don’t trade somebody like Luka, regardless of the stuff you want to say about him. You turn the other cheek. There are some players you just don’t trade, I don’t care.”

Some politely tried to see it from the Mavs’ side, with some caveats:

“Thought it was a win-win, short term. I thought Dallas won it short term, even though, obviously in hindsight, Anthony got hurt. I think the Lakers won long term. In actuality, the Lakers won short term and long term, the way that it happened. (But) you’ve got to have some people that defend to win a championship. I think that’s what Dallas was looking at, and we know Luka’s not that.”

And some were clearly members of the Lakers:

“I think it’s phenomenal decision. So smart. Wise. I’m a Nico Harrison fan.”

“Thank you. I love it.”

For the fan perspective, here’s an assortment of top comments from this Reddit thread:

Anyone would get laughed the f*** out of here for proposing this

28 other GMs just found out Luka was available

f*** outta here. No way this can be real. No way you trade a top 5 player if you dont have to

If this is real the Mavs need to be investigated because this is maybe the worst deal in NBA history

Even AD is thinking, wow, am I that good?

There’s really no other way to cut it. No one with a notable platform supported the trade as a clear win for Dallas. At best, some were cautiously curious about what could happen if Davis, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson all stayed healthy for the playoffs. That obviously and predictably didn’t happen, and it now looks like it will never happen.

Harrison went on to express some contrition about the trade that will define his career. In April, he admitted he didn’t realize “what level” his fan base loved Dončić. He tried to project confidence, laughably bragging that “fans can finally start to see the vision” after winning the Flagg pick on a 1.8% shot in the NBA Draft lottery. He kept hearing the chants.

Meanwhile, Cuban was once again in Dumont’s ear, as were the fans. As the Mavericks’ chances of contending unsurprisingly nosedived this season with Davis hurt again and Irving still out, the team’s ultimate decision-maker saw what everyone else saw that fateful night.

Last week, Tomahawk Nation’s Curt Weiler covered three new FSU position players to know ahead of the Seminole baseball season kicking off on February 13th.

Today, the focus shifts to the mound.

Last season, the Seminoles were buoyed by their weekend rotation of Jamie Arnold, Joey Volini and Wes Mendes. Outside of Arnold being scratched for one start, head coach Link Jarrett did not have to change his rotation one time, and their consistency propelled FSU to a second-straight trip to the Super Regionals. For the staff as a whole, Florida State’s pitching ranked third in the ACC in ERA a season ago and had six arms drafted in the 2025 MLB Draft, including the No. 11 pick, Arnold.

The 2026 pitching staff will look completely different.

While Mendes returns, Arnold and Volini have turned pro, as have trusted bullpen options such as Peyton Prescott and Joe Charles. Seeking to rebuild his pitching staff, Jarrett aggressively pursued reliable veteran arms via the portal, landing FAU LHP Trey Beard, the No. 7 player in the portal according to On3. Beard appears to be a shoo-in for a weekend rotation spot, and his changeup may be the best pitch on anyone on the staff this season. But outside of Beard, here are three pitchers to know ahead of the 2026 baseball season.

No. 1: RHP Bryson Moore

Heading into the final weeks of camp, Moore appears to be in a battle with LHP Payton Manca for the final spot in the weekend rotation, and both have drawn rave reviews from Jarrett. Moore, who spent his last two seasons at Virginia, entered the transfer portal after Mississippi State poached former UVA head coach Brian O’Conner, but did not follow him to Starkville and instead came to Tallahassee. Moore has a commanding physical presence on the bump, standing 6’3” and weighing 215 pounds with a three-pitch mix, fastball, changeup and curveball.

The main concern with Moore is how he will hold up throughout the season. During the 2025 campaign, Moore only threw 18.1 innings and did not appear in a game from March 2nd to April 29th. However, early on in the season, the righty fired five innings of two-run ball (one earned) on 83 pitches, so he does have the capability to start and throw late in games. But 31.1 innings over two seasons does give cause for concern.

Moore was the 159th-ranked recruit in Perfect Game’s 2023 class and was the D.C. Gatorade Player of the Year for baseball in his senior year of high school. The talent is obvious, but the question will be whether Florida State can get a full season out of the junior right-handed arm. Here is Jarrett on Moore in his mid-preseason press conference with the local Tallahassee media on Thursday.

“Bryson Moore, start to finish, from fall to where we are right now, has been very, very consistent. It’s a good mix of a variety of pitches. He’s very conscious of how he works. He’s been spot on, and we need to keep him headed in that direction.”

No. 2: RHP Gabe Nard

In the last two seasons, the lack of consistent options out of the bullpen has been the downfall of the Florida State season. While throughout the year, the arms out in the ‘pen have been good enough, in the biggest spots, they faultered and FSU’s seasons have ended because of it.

Enter Duke transfer Gabe Nard, who could be the slow-heartbeat, reliable, shutdown bullpen arm the Seminole staff has desperately needed. Nard transferred from Duke, which lost their head coach to Virginia, and joined the FSU program in the spring after finishing his degree in Durham over the fall. In his junior season with the Blue Devils, the righty made 29 appearances with only two starts, but fired 50.2 innings with a 4.62 ERA and a 45:17 K:BB ratio. Nard spent three seasons with the Blue Devils, making 20 or more appearances in every campaign and racking up 120.2 innings pitched across his college career.

The one question mark about Nard will be where Jarrett decides to use him. Even though he has spent most of his career out of the bullpen, Nard has never recorded a save. Will he be a multi-innings eater in the seventh and eighth and give way to someone in the ninth, or will there be a different plan for him in his senior season in Tallahassee? Here was Jarrett on Nard:

“Different profile of fastball, tremendous sink-and-run, that’s going to help us. He’s still acclimating to the program, but he’s well on his way to being a serviceable piece of this thing for us.”

No. 3: RHP Cole Stokes

Florida State has a trio of flame-throwing, right-handed relievers, Cade O’Leary, Ben Barrett and Cole Stokes. All three face similar control issues, but if Stokes gets it right, he could be the dominant closer FSU has lacked under Jarrett.

Stokes transferred to Florida State after two seasons at Oregon. In his sophomore season, the 6’6” RHP was tied for the team lead in appearances with 24, but struggled with consistency as he handed out more free passes (31, 16 walks and 15 HBPs) than he had innings pitched (20.1). Stokes made only one appearance in Oregon’s regional last year and did not record an out while allowing two walks against Utah Valley.

As mentioned, though, what makes Stokes’ potential so great is his fastball. The junior consistently sat at 96, with the ability to reach 98-99, and is working on a slider to pair with the heater. Here is what Jarrett had to say on Thursday on Stokes’ most recent appearance in practice:

“The last outing he had was as good an outing as a right-handed pitcher I’ve seen on a college field. It was dynamic; it was 98. The slider profile was unbelievably good. That was a phenomenal outing. It was fun to watch.”

The NBA suspended Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George 25 games without pay for violating the league’s anti-drug program. In a statement to ESPN on Saturday, George admitted to taking “improper medication” for a mental health issue.

“Over the past few years, I’ve discussed the importance of mental health, and in the course of recently seeking treatment for an issue of my own, I made the mistake of taking an improper medication,” George said in the statement. 

“I take full responsibility for my actions and apologize to the Sixers organization, my teammates and the Philly fans for my poor decision making during this process.”

George added: “I am focused on using this time to make sure that my mind and body are in the best condition to help the team when I return.”

George’s suspension will begin Saturday night, when the Sixers host the New Orleans Pelicans, the league announced. When he’s eligible to return, the Sixers will have a mere 10 games remaining in the regular season, starting with a March 25 home matchup against the Chicago Bulls.

In his 16th NBA season, the 35-year-old George is averaging 16 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game on 42.4% shooting for a Philadelphia team that’s 26-21 and sixth in the Eastern Conference.

The nine-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA selection is in his second season with the Sixers after signing a maximum four-year, $212 million contract with the franchise in the summer of 2024.

George’s suspension could have an impact on Philadelphia’s trade-deadline approach. His 25-game ban will cost him $11,742,294, according to NBA salary cap analyst Yossi Gozlan, who reported Saturday that, in turn, the Sixers will receive a luxury tax credit worth half that amount.

As a result, per Gozlan, the Sixers will be only $1.3 million above the luxury tax line. In saving more than $5 million in luxury tax payments, it will be easier for the Sixers to duck out of the tax before the deadline without disrupting a roster that has Philadelphia back in playoff contention, after last season’s injury-riddled nosedive saw the team miss the postseason for the first time since 2016-17.

“Obviously, we’ve been ducking the tax the last couple of years, so hopefully we keep the same team,” Sixers star center Joel Embiid told reporters after a 113-111 win over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday, per ESPN. “I love all the guys that are here. I think we got a shot.

“I don’t know what they’re going to do, but I hope that at least we got a chance to just go out and compete because we got a good group of guys in this locker room, and vibes are great.”

While George is the Sixers’ third-leading scorer this season, his availability in Philadelphia has been a concern since he arrived. The 6-foot-8 wing played 74 games in 2023-24, his final season with the Los Angeles Clippers, but he hadn’t played more than 56 games in any of his prior four seasons.

After joining Embiid and then-reigning NBA Most Improved Player Tyrese Maxey to form a “Big 3” in Philly, George appeared in just 41 games for the Sixers last season. 

He missed the start of the 2024-25 campaign with a bone bruise in his hyperextended left knee. Not long after he returned, he missed more time with a similar injury. Then he missed games with a finger injury in January. 

By mid-March, the Sixers shut down George due to both a left adductor muscle injury and a left knee injury. At that point, Embiid was already done for the season, too. 

George didn’t make his debut this season until Nov. 17 after he underwent offseason knee surgery, which sidelined him for the first 12 games.

The Sixers teamed up Embiid and Maxey with George in an attempt to finally get over the Eastern Conference semifinals hump. That trio has shared the court together this season for a total of 365 minutes over 17 games, per ESPN.