The seat could be heating up for Nico Harrison with the Dallas Mavericks falling to last place in the Western Conference after Friday’s 118-104 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
On his Howdy Partners show (starts at 5:35 mark), ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said it is “absolutely a legitimate question” whether or not Harrison will be able to keep his job as the Mavs weather this current storm.
“When you talk to people about the Mavericks around the league,” MacMahon added, “it is the first question that people are asking.”
Harrison got a multiyear contract extension in June 2024 as the Mavericks were preparing to play Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics.
Mavericks fans have been leading the “Fire Nico” chorus since Feb. 2 when the Luka Dončić trade went down, but there was no indication down the stretch last season that Harrison’s job was ever in any real danger.
NBA insider Marc Stein reported on Oct. 26 that Mavs governor Patrick Dumont has continued to stand by Harrison throughout all of the fan backlash to the Dončić deal.
It was easier for Dumont to offer that support coming off a summer in which the Mavericks hit the lottery by winning the No. 1 pick and drafting a potential franchise cornerstone in Cooper Flagg.
Nine games into the season, though, it’s not hard to see why Harrison might be on shaky ground. The Mavericks are not only last in the West entering play on Saturday, but they have the worst offense in the NBA.
Dallas’ 103.2 offensive rating is nearly three points worse than the No. 29 team (Indiana Pacers: 106.1).
One thing Harrison can boast about is the defense, which he insisted was a big reason for the Dončić trade. The Mavericks rank sixth in defensive rating, but it isn’t making a difference right now because they can’t score the basketball.
The offense has the potential to improve over the course of this season, particularly with Flagg’s continued development and the return of Kyrie Irving at some point from a torn ACL.
Given how bad things have started this season for the Mavs, though, Harrison might need them to get on track sooner than later if his job status is already becoming a talking point around the NBA.
