The wrongful termination lawsuit that former Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson filed against the franchise in 2022 is scheduled to go to trial this December, according to Xuan Thai of ESPN.
Nelson’s lawsuit alleged that he was fired in retaliation for reporting that his nephew was sexually harassed and assaulted by Mark Cuban‘s chief of staff, Jason Lutin, during a job interview on February 16, 2020. Nelson claims that he didn’t find out about the incident until five months after it occurred, by which point the nephew had reached a settlement agreement with the team.
According to Nelson’s lawsuit, he was in discussions with the Mavericks about a contract extension at the time, but those talks came to an abrupt end after he reported the incident to Cuban. He was fired the following year.
The Mavericks vehemently denied the allegations in a series of statements back in 2022 when Nelson initially filed the suit. According to Thai, in their formal response, the Mavs denied that the veteran executive was wrongfully terminated, stating that his dismissal was the result of multiple other factors, including “poor job performance.”
Here’s more from out of Dallas:
- The Mavericks are 3-0 and have the NBA’s best defensive rating since trade deadline acquisitions Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington made their debuts. But while Gafford has been playing some of his best basketball since arriving in Dallas, the team is still looking to get Washington going, head coach Jason Kidd said on Tuesday, according to Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required). “I’ve always talked about getting their feet settled. And I think Gafford, you can see, his feet are settled,” Kidd said. “Now it’s (about) getting P.J.’s feet settled. I think P.J. having family and friends here will help with that. And then being aggressive. We need P.J. to be aggressive and not just wait for (Kyrie Irving) or Luka (Doncic). We need him to play his game too.” Washington has averaged 8.7 points on 40.7% shooting in his first three games as a Mav.
- Mavericks guard Dante Exum, who has played just twice since January 1 due to injuries and has been sidelined since January 27 as a result of right knee bursitis, appears to be getting close to returning to action. “No setback,” Kidd said of Exum, per Townsend (Twitter link). “He’s been working out. He’ll do practice (on Wednesday), non-contact. I think the plan is for somewhere on this road trip to get him back.” Dallas’ upcoming four-game road trip begins on Sunday in Indiana and runs through next Friday (March 1).
- Does two-time MVP Nikola Jokic believe there’s a scenario in which he and Doncic join forces on an NBA team? Asked that question at All-Star weekend, Jokic said he has no desire to leave Denver but suggested with a laugh that if Luka gets fed up in Dallas, he’s welcome to join him on the Nuggets (Twitter video link via DNVR Sports).
Gafford perfect trade deadline pickup for Dallas. His integration is easy. Kidd needs remainder of season to define PJ’s role. Meantime just crash boards, cut to the rim, let Luka do the rest. Mavs have flaws but I wouldn’t want to see them in the 1st round.
If Nelson found out about it after a settlement agreement was reached how could he also be the one to report it? Something isn’t adding up here.
Bingo. Just another bitter lawsuit from someone who got fired.
A team with lucka with a good defensive rating!!!! Mind Blown!
luka has been great in defense this season. best post defender in the league, top 10 iso defender, top 5 spot up defender
A NBA executive uses his position of power to sexually assault a job applicant, the franchise pays hush money to the victim and the league takes no further action?
Why? Because the victim is a male and the assailant belongs to a politically coddled “community”? Talk about hypocrisy.
I mean, they did the same thing to the Spurs psychologist who was fired after Joshua Primo exposed himself to her repeatedly. When she said “that’s it, I’m done”, the Spurs fired her without cause and tried to cover the whole thing up. The League suspended Primo, but took no action against the franchise, who were more culpable than a mentally ill teenager could ever be.
It’s not even surprising, really.
And Primo is paid then rewarded for his behavior. These players need to held accountable as well but Silver wants to protect them at all costs
Primo is a guy who struggled with mental illness, got the therapy he needed, and got back to his life. As a mental health professional, your attitude annoys me.
He hasn’t been anywhere near the star he would have been if he’d kept playing. He was punished for his actions. You can argue that it wasn’t enough, but the Spurs as an org are far more culpable in this. The fact that they weren’t punished at all is disgusting.
He wasn’t rewarded for his behavior, he was signed because he still has talent and upside. One screw-up where no one was injured is and *should not be* the end to someone’s career. The therapist in question exercised her professional right to end the treatment of a mentally ill individual, but the team said “f*** you”. That’s the actual problem. People with mental illness cannot be held fully accountable for their actions if it is determined that they were not fully in control of said actions. As Primo most likely wasn’t.
If Primo screws around like that again, drop him like a hot potato. But right now? He’s a dumba** kid who messed up bad and is trying to get his life on track again. He’s not Deshaun Watson, who did this crap dozens of times without a mental health diagnosis to even attempt to explain his behavior. He’s not Miles Bridges, who brutally assaulted his girlfriend. Primo is not a monster.
While I agree a teenager who is mentally ill isn’t as responsible for his behavior I respectfully hope you will re-think your statement of “One-screw-up where no one was injured”. As you stated you are a mental health professional so I would hope would understand that injuries are often not physical. Also as previously stated it was “after Joshua Primo exposed himself to her repeatedly”. the likelyhood of it causing trauma is higher after repeated experiences.
Luka and Jokic on the same team would be insanity
Primo is now a clipper. There is more to the story but the Spurs should have done something the first time. Why the lady allowed a third occurrence is beyond me.
I mean, I’ve certainly had patients who have done this sort of thing to me. It’s because they’re mentally ill and don’t really have proper control of themselves. Stuff happens. She decided that enough was enough and terminated the sessions, as she’s allowed to do if she fears for her safety or feels like she can’t treat the patient objectively anymore. The Spurs firing her is the inflection point. Primo’s actions are of a secondary concern from the perspective of a mental health professional, as they’re likely considered symptoms of his illness.