Luka Dealt to Lakers: Nico Harrison is a Basketball Terrorist

[mvossman]

We complain about getting” old” stars but Kidd was just that. Lead to the teams only championship. We get so infatuated with “windows” of contention and potential that we may forget that the goal is to WIN the ship. A window is useless if it comes and goes without a ring. I’m not justifying the Luka trade, it was inexcusable, but IF the Mavs win a championship with Nico’s new vision of the team then it will ultimately be judged as a success. Hanging banners changes hearts.

The goal is to win championships, but its not just to win them today, its to win them tomorrow as well.  Its a balance.  A move to slightly increase your chances in the near term (which I don't think is happening here) but tanking a legit chance for the next several years is not a good trade off.  

Also, winning a championship is not a guarantee of all things forgiven.  If Nico sends out every young player we care about for KD and the team somehow stays healthy enough at the right time to actually win a championship, I would consider it a very hollow victory.  Especially if the team spends then next serval years being terrible with no hope on the horizon while Luka wins one with a team that had less talent, less fit with Luka and less assets than the Mavericks at the time of the trade.