Luka Dealt to Lakers: Nico Harrison is a Basketball Terrorist

[F Gump]

This argument would have more weight if he didn't trade Luka for 2 1/2 years of supermax on a much older player with injury history.  It will have even less weight if he trades most of the team for a 37 year old on another supermax.

With DAL/Nico, they never said they have an issue with paying the supermax itself. They've explicitly made it clear. They just couldn't justify committing to LUKA that huge amount, and in so doing being on the hook to him for SIX seasons, in light of his questionable personal habits for an elite athlete, and his apparent unwillingness to alter them.

No other player would be putting that sort of financial noose around the Mavs neck (not just the amount in a year, but the extreme number of years too.)