Dallas Mavericks General manager Nico Harrison has been fired, team governor Patrick Dumont confirmed.
“This decision reflects our ongoing commitment to building a championship-caliber organization that benefits our players, our partners and, most importantly, our fans,” Dumont said in a statement.
His departure comes nine months after Harrison sent Luka Doncic, a five-time first-team All-NBA selection, to the Los Angeles Lakers. in the blockbuster trade. It also came a day after Dumont, the Mavs owner and the team's representative on the NBA's board of governors, was seen talking to a fan who was wearing a Doncic Lakers jersey during Monday's 116-114 home loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
“Fire, Nico!” chants could be heard in the fourth quarter of a game in which Dallas blew a 13-point lead.
Harrison, 52, took credit for the trade and defended the move, saying there were concerns about Doncic's physique and commitment to conditioning.
“I knew Luca was important to the fans. I didn't quite understand how important it was,” Harrison said, explaining the move, comments that themselves drew widespread criticism from fans and NBA commentators are the same.
In a letter to fans on Tuesday, Dumont did not directly address the Doncic trade, but hinted at it. “I understand the profound impact these difficult last few months have had,” Dumont said in the letter. “Please know that I am fully committed to the success of the Mavericks… Our goal is to bring winning basketball back to Dallas and win a championship.”
The deal, by and large, was not a success for the Mavericks. Anthony Davis, who was a key player in the comeback against the Lakers, is out for six weeks after suffering an adductor strain in his debut in Dallas. Davis is currently out with a calf strain for the Mavericks, who have limped to a 3-8 record this season.
Meanwhile, Doncic continues to be one of the best players in the NBA for the Lakers. He's now averaging just over 37 points and nine assists per game this season, and the Lakers have an 8-3 record as one of the top teams in the Western Conference entering the season.
Dallas' dip in form after the Doncic trade did allow them to secure the top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, which they used to select Cooper Flagg. In Monday's loss to the Bucks, Flagg scored a career-high 26 points and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.
ESPN reports that Michael Finley and Matt Ricciardi, both assistant general managers, will lead the Mavericks' basketball operations on an interim basis.
