A pair of Mavericks reporters are beefing over differing perspectives on the alleged death threats received by Dallas general manager Nico Harrison.
Over the weekend, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported that Harrison had received threats on his life from angry Mavericks fans after he dealt superstar Luka Doncic to the Lakers in a shocking blockbuster trade earlier this month.
On Saturday, before Dallas’ first home game since the trade, independent Mavericks reporter Grant Afseth seemed to dispute MacMahon’s report after speaking with the local police department.
“Dallas Police Department’s Public Information Officer tells me, ‘There are no known threats at this time,’ directed at Mavericks GM Nico Harrison,” Afseth wrote on X. “This comes despite ESPN’s report yesterday on added security measures due to ‘death threats’ ahead of Saturday’s game vs. Rockets.”
MacMahon, apparently, took exception to this, ripping Afseth by calling him a “wannabe journalist” on “The Hoop Collective” podcast.
“Let me just double down on that reporting,” he said on Monday. “Because I’ve been ripped because Dallas Police Department told some wannabe journalist that ‘There’s no known threats to us.’ Uh, folks, the Mavericks have security that’s literally been at the highest level of American law enforcement. The threats did not raise themselves to the level where they felt like they needed to be reported to police. But I guarantee you, and I’ve heard from multiple sources, that he’s received death threats.”
Afseth clapped back later on Monday, taking a jab at MacMahon over his “wannabe journalist” moniker.
“Tim MacMahon: ‘The threats did not raise themselves to the level that they needed to be reported to the police,’” Afseth wrote on X. “That’s what ‘some wannabe reporter’ reported the first time. I don’t think it’s fair to give a fanbase or the city of Dallas an undeserving reputation on global TV.”
The feud comes as the Mavericks deal with the backlash from trading away their five-time All-Star and perennial MVP candidate in Doncic, who made his Lakers debut on Monday night while Anthony Davis, the key piece of the Dallas return, is reported to be out multiple weeks with an adductor strain.
During their game against the Kings on Monday night, a number of fans were kicked out of American Airlines Center after showing their frustration with the Doncic trade.
