Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison prioritized adding talent for the long-term at the trade deadline, acquiring Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington with an eye towards future success.
“It wasn’t really about winning right now,” Harrison explained to ESPN. “It was just about continuing to build it. It’s like every step is, how do we continue to get better? And we’re not built for just right now; we’re built for the next three playoff runs.”
Harrison believed that Gafford and Washington would thrive in Dallas, given the opportunity to compete for a team with playoff aspirations. Gafford shared his GM’s sentiment.
“No disrespect to any other team that we were on, but it’s just we went from playing for nothing to playing for something,” Gafford said. “It’s like we had to lock in a whole different way.”
