Nico Harrison’s time as the Dallas Mavericks general manager is over.
The move to axe Harrison comes nine months after he traded out superstar guard Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in a move that rocked the NBA to its core.
Watch NBA with ESPN on Kayo Sports | Stream an average 9 LIVE Regular Season games per week plus the best of the NBA Playoffs. | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.
In the days after the bombshell trade, Harrison attempted to state it was done for the future of the franchise and the trade had given them a better chance of winning an NBA title after they lost in the finals during the 2024/25 season.
After the opening 11 games of the 2025/26 season, the Mavericks sit second last in the western conference with a 3-8 record.
Doncic on the other hand has guided the Lakers into fourth place on the standings with a 8-3 record and sits firmly in the MVP conversation.
The last straw came when the Mavericks blew a 13-point lead Monday night in a home loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, during which fans repeatedly chanted “Fire Nico!”
Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont attended Monday’s game for the first time since the team’s season-opening loss to the Spurs and talked with an 18-year-old fan in a Doncic Lakers jersey, according to ESPN.
Harrison, 52, took over as Dallas’ GM and president of basketball operations in June 2021 after previously working as an executive for Nike.
The Mavericks lost in the conference finals during his first year at the helm and in 2024 lost in the NBA Finals.
Reports in the aftermath of the blockbuster trade suggested some within the Mavericks organisation weren’t pleased with Doncic’s habits and felt he didn’t keep himself in the best of shape; Doncic was the subject of a July Men’s Health cover story in which he appeared to have slimmed down.
Harrison’s public explanation for trading Doncic was believing Anthony Davis, who they had received from the Lakers in exchange, would help shore up the team’s defence and get them over the hump for a championship.
Davis got hurt in his first game as a Maverick last season and missed his sixth straight game Monday with a calf injury.
Star point guard Kyrie Irving is also still recovering from a torn ACL suffered last season and it’s unclear when he’ll return.
That has left the spotlight on the 18-year-old number one pick Cooper Flagg, who scored a season-high 26 points on Monday along with nine rebounds and four assists as the team collapsed, enraging a fan base that has wanted Harrison gone since February.
On Tuesday, they got their wish.
– with Justin Tasch, NY Post
