ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith did not hold back on "First Take" when addressing Draymond Green’s recent defense of former Dallas Mavericks executive Nico Harrison and the controversial Luka Doncic trade.
Smith made it clear he believes Green’s framing of the situation misses the bigger picture.
"I think that in this particular instance Draymond Green is being incredibly unfair," Smith said. "He’s wrong with his depiction of what people were saying."
Green, a veteran Golden State Warriors player who has often positioned himself as part of what he calls the “new media,” suggested critics were being overly harsh toward Harrison during a recent episode of "The Draymond Green Show" podcast. Smith acknowledged Green’s credentials but argued that fairness matters when evaluating a move of that magnitude.
“This man has a full-time job getting paid an exorbitant amount of money, deserves every penny. He’s a four-time champion, a former Defensive Player of the Year, who will be a Hall of Famer,” Smith said. “He has the credentials to say what he says. But in the same breath, be fair about it.”
Smith emphasized that most criticism was never personal toward Harrison. In fact, he went out of his way to separate the executive from the decision.
“Who has a negative thing to say about Nico Harrison, the person? Nobody,” Smith said, noting Harrison’s role in helping build an NBA Finals team and executing strong trades in the past.
The issue, Smith argued, was strictly about the Luka Doncic deal.
Doncic, a 25-year-old global superstar at the time of the trade, represented not just elite production on the court but enormous off-court value. Smith highlighted the age difference and injury concerns surrounding Anthony Davis, the player Dallas acquired in return, saying the optics of the deal were difficult to justify.
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But for Smith, the most egregious part was not simply trading Doncic. It was how it was done.
“That was the crime, that you didn’t put him on the market and literally see what you could get for him,” Smith said.
He pointed to other recent blockbuster trades around the league that yielded multiple first-round picks and massive asset hauls. In comparison, the return for Doncic appeared underwhelming.
Smith posed a question that underscored his main argument.
“If Luka Doncic had been put on the open market by Nico Harrison, can we even sit here and imagine the assets that would have been offered for him?”
That, he insisted, is the heart of the controversy. The criticism is not about dislike for Harrison, but about process and value.
Smith also addressed Green directly in tone, saying he believes Green understands the reality of NBA front offices and market dynamics.
“Draymond knows that. He has to know that,” Smith said.
While Smith acknowledged the Mavericks ultimately benefited from lottery luck that landed them No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg, he maintained that it does not erase the perception of the trade itself.
In Smith’s view, the deal “will forever stain” Harrison’s executive career, regardless of past accomplishments.
The debate highlights a broader tension between players and media voices over how trades are evaluated. For Smith, the issue is simple: separating personal respect from professional critique. And in this case, he believes the Luka Doncic trade warrants strong scrutiny.