General Manager Nico Harrison Set To Fired By Dallas Mavericks
Well, the other shoe has finally dropped in Dallas. Nico Harrison, the man whose name has become a four-letter word in the American Airlines Center, is expected to be fired. According to sources, Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont has a 10 a.m. CT meeting scheduled with Harrison on Tuesday, and it’s probably not to discuss fantasy football.
The move comes as a shock to absolutely no one. Harrison’s tenure has been a rollercoaster that flew off the rails, crashed, and then somehow ended up on a different, even scarier rollercoaster. This saga truly began when Harrison made the head-scratching decision to trade away the franchise’s crown jewel, Luka Dončić, just months after a trip to the NBA Finals.
The Trade That Sealed Harrison’s Fate
Let’s revisit that trade, shall we? In a move that still baffles basketball minds everywhere, Harrison sent the five-time All-NBA phenom to the Los Angeles Lakers. In return, Dallas got Anthony Davis, the perpetually injured big man; Max Christie, a player you’d forget was on the roster; and a 2029 first-round pick that feels like a lifetime away.
The city of Dallas reacted about as well as you’d expect. Fan protests erupted outside the arena. Season tickets were canceled. The chants of “Fire Nico!” became the unofficial soundtrack of every home game, a constant, ringing reminder of a fanbase scorned. It was less a basketball arena and more a public forum for grievances against one man.
Monday night’s loss to the Milwaukee Bucks was just the latest salt in the wound. The Mavericks, now a dismal 3-8 and clinging to the bottom of the Western Conference, blew a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter. It was a fittingly painful metaphor for Harrison’s entire run as GM. Dumont, watching courtside for the first time since the season-opening disaster, had apparently seen enough.
A Gamble That Didn’t Pay Off
Hired in 2021, Harrison came in as an outsider from the world of Nike sneaker execs. He quickly went to work dismantling the team, letting Jalen Brunson walk for nothing and trading Kristaps Porziņģis. While moves for Kyrie Irving, Daniel Gafford, and P.J. Washington led to a surprise Finals appearance, Harrison apparently had little faith in the very team he built.
He then alienated Dončić by firing several long-tenured staff members the star player liked, leading to reports of Luka’s frustration. When Harrison finally traded him, he failed to maximize the return, leaving valuable assets like Austin Reaves and multiple draft picks on the table in his negotiations with his old Nike buddy, Lakers GM Rob Pelinka.
The basketball gods did throw Dallas a bone. Against all odds, the Mavs won the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery and landed Cooper Flagg, a generational prospect. But even Flagg’s arrival couldn’t save Harrison. The team’s offense has been a train wreck, and the “Fire Nico” chants never faded.
Now, as the Nico Harrison era comes to its inevitable, unceremonious end, the Mavericks must pick up the pieces. The fans got their wish. The question is, who will be tasked with building a future around Flagg and, more importantly, mending a fractured relationship with a fanbase that won’t soon forget the man who traded away Doncic?
