Just like that, the hammer has been dropped. The entire NBA community — the Philadelphia 76ers included as neutral spectators — have watched in disbelief as the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic for reasons which even reason does not know. And now, following the collective rage from the world of sports, the man behind the tragic trade in Nico Harrison has now been fired — hook, line, and sinker.
Naturally, the disaster that was the Luka trade will be the single most devastating feature of his tenure. However, on the 76ers side, there is another one that will keep giving the now-former GM nightmares after his climactic firing — the lopsided trade where he handed Quentin Grimes to Philadelphia for basically chump change.
For those who have been living under a rock, just a couple of days after the Mavericks shook the entire planet with the Doncic-Anthony Davis swap, Dallas likewise traded Grimes to the 76ers for Caleb Martin. And we all know how that turned out for both camps, right? It was a lopsided deal where Philly easily won and which gave Dallas another thing to regret about.
The Quentin Grimes trade will also keep giving Nico Harrison nightmares
Grimes was an unbelievable acquisition for the 76ers from the trade market, and that is more so the case given the fact that they got him for, well, Martin. The former rapidly became one of the most vital cogs on the roster, and there is legitimate room for him to have a lasting partnership with the franchise.
Martin, on the other hand, has been borderline unplayable for the Mavericks. Last season, he could not even get off the sidelines due to his nagging injuries. This time around, things have not changed much, although the primary reason for his lack of playing time is his unimpressive play. That he is averaging just 9.1 minutes per game for a Dallas team ravaged by injuries is a vivid red flag, no?
Looking back, this deal was probably done in anticipation of the Mavs trying to save some money and avoid extending Grimes to be in better position to alter the roster and retrofit it for their new Davis-Kyrie Irving core. But that plan is starting to crumble fast, and their new nucleus involving Cooper Flagg now necessitates a different approach. In short, Martin has become obsolete.
Meanwhile, the 76ers continue to revel in the solid production they have gotten from Grimes, who is arguably one of the frontrunners for the Sixth Man of the Year award. Hence, taken in its entirety, this trade will end up being another part of the terrible legacy which Nico Harrison will leave in his presumably one-and-done stint in the NBA.