This is why Deno has gone so long without a true package manager. The problem here is now they're fighting for adoption so they're going against their original values because they know what they wanted isn't what the broader community wants.
Can you elaborate?
> so they're going against their original values because they know what they wanted isn't what the broader community wants.
No, they are still sticking to everything, but added support for the existing ecosystem. Yes they are adding this to combat the network effect that node has, but it doesn't really go against anything. You simply prefix npm in front of npm imports. Now you could use a package.json file if you already have one, but you don't have to.
The fact that all this interoperates with NPM as well is just an added bonus. But even if NPM died tomorrow, deno would go on having a package system, because they have realized how important it actually is (to fix things like what they call the "duplicate dependency problem").
But the package.json format part is a backwards compatibility feature. The preferred import maps will be the ideal solution (if you do need dependency management).
None of that really goes against direct imports, which work well for single file scripts, workers, etc. Choose what fits.