Nico Harrison Responds to Luka Doncic, Says He's Never 'Spoken Ill' of Lakers Star

Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison feels that Los Angeles Lakers star guard Luka Doncic's recent comments about him were misguided, and he agrees that both sides should move on.

"I feel the same way he does, like I’ve actually never spoken ill of Luka at all, and I'm just ready to move on with this team that we have," Harrison told reporters on Monday when asked about Doncic's comments.

Per ESPN's Dave McMenamin, Doncic told Malika Andrews in a recent sit-down interview that he hasn't spoken to Harrison since being traded from the Mavs to the Lakers. However, Harrison's comments in the aftermath of the deal haven't sat right with him.

"It's just sad the way he's talking right now," Doncic said of Harrison. "I never say anything bad about him, and I just want to move on. The fans, my ex-teammates, I'll always keep at heart. It's time for me to move on from there."

Doncic was referring to Harrison saying that he has "no regrets" about the trade and repeating that his motivation behind the deal was that "defense wins championships," indicating that the 26-year-old struggled on that side of the ball. There were also reports that Harrison and the Mavs organization had concerns over Doncic's conditioning and dietary habits.

"I mean, it's painful, depending on how you take it," Doncic said of the criticisms by his former team. "It mostly came from Dallas, so I didn't want to talk back. But I don't really read that much stuff. I'm just trying to focus on my journey."

Doncic is hoping to help lead the Lakers past the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs, while the Mavs will be watching the postseason from home after losing to the Memphis Grizzlies in the play-in tournament. It seems like it's time for both sides to heed their word and move on from the trade fallout.